Cerita (Stories): A Pedagogical Model for Teaching Story Genres to Lower Secondary School Students in Indonesia

Teacher professional learning programs often aim to support teachers to develop new knowledge or instructional practices in order to improve students’ learning outcomes. However, connecting these knowledge and skills to the teachers’ specific context remains a challenge. The gap is even wider in contexts of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL), such as Indonesia, where pedagogical frameworks adopted for English language curriculum have been developed for use in language settings a long way from most EFL situations (see Baker, 2016; Canagarajah, 2016; Chaaban, 2017). As such, the contents of professional learning are commonly perceived as propaganda for vested interests, and unrelated to local classroom realities (Fang, 2012). This study investigates the potential of a professional learning program based on genre theory (after Martin, 1985; Martin & Rose, 2008) a model that underpins the current English language curriculum for secondary school students in Indonesia. The design and implementation of the program in the study are drawn from Reading to Learn (R2L) (Rose & Martin, 2012), a scaffolded approach to literacy education that has developed from systemic functional theory as developed by Halliday and his colleagues (e.g. Halliday, 1975; Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014; Rose & Martin, 2012). The program described in this study offered workshops, supported pedagogy and ongoing dialogue to promote a story-oriented renovation of R2L, incorporating story sharing activities such as multimodal storytelling and scripted performances as an additional learning stage in order to enhance secondary students’ control of writing story genres in English

FROM STORYTELLING TO STORY WRITING: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF READING TO LEARN (R2L) PEDAGOGY TO TEACH ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN INDONESIA

It is widely acknowledged that the use of stories supports the development of literacy in the context of learning English as a first language. However, it seems that there are a few studies investigating this issue in the context of teaching and learning English as a foreign language.  This action-oriented case study aims to enhance students’ written narrative achievement through a pedagogical intervention that incorporates oral story sharing activities. In this paper, the intervention will be briefly described and the preliminary findings from the students’ written texts will be presented. This study which was conducted in a lower secondary school in Bandung Barat region, Indonesia implemented the intervention within eight learning periods. The intervention comprised the following stages: (1) preparing before reading (stories), (2) detailed reading, (3) joint rewriting, and (4) individual rewriting. Before and after the intervention, students’ narrative texts were collected and analysed in terms of how each text achieved its purpose, how it moved through stages and phases of meaning, the control of field, relationship with the reader and its coherence.  The preliminary findings indicate that there is a shift in students’ ability from writing fragmented and spoken-like language to more literate written narratives.   It is expected that this study which implemented R2L pedagogy in the Indonesian context will contribute to English language teaching in EFL contexts

GENDER CONSTRUCTION IN VISUAL IMAGES IN TEXTBOOKS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract: In the Indonesian context, little has been done to raise awareness of political correctness in gender matters in school textbooks.  As an attempt to fill this gap, I conducted a textual analysis on four English language textbooks used in Indonesian primary schools.  The focus of the study was on the pictorial texts accompanying the linguistic ones.  The ‘Visual Grammar’, developed by Kress and van Leeuwen, was used as the framework of analysis. The results showed that the illustrations accompanying linguistic texts fortified the representations of gender asymmetry.  Females were depicted more dependent than males and were also construed to be admirers of an action carried out by the males. The study recommended conscious efforts to value both genders equally in visualization as meaning construction is multimodal. Keywords: gender construction, visual grammar, pictorial texts, EFL textbooks KONSTRUKSI GENDER DALAM CITRA VISUAL PADA BUKU TEKS UNTUK SISWA SEKOLAH DASAR Abstrak:Di Indonesia, upaya penyadaran pentingnya isu penyetaraan gender dalam buku ajar sekolah masih belum banyak dilakukan. Untuk itu, penelitian ini dilakukan sebagai salah satu cara penyadaran isu gender dengan menginvestigasi representasi gender dalam buku ajar. Penelitian ini menggunakan analisis teks terhadap empat buku ajar yang digunakan di sekolah dasar. Fokus analisisnya adalah pada gambar ilustrasi yang menyertai teks tertulis seperti bagian bacaan. Gambar tersebut dianalisis dengan menggunakan teori ‘Visual Grammar’ yang dikembangkan oleh Kress dan van Leeuween. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa gambar-gambar tersebut merepresentasikan ketidaksetaraan gender. Perempuan digambarkan sebagai sosok yang tergantung pada orang lain dibandingkan laki-laki yang mandiri dan mereka berlaku sebagai pengagum pekerjaan yang dilakukan laki-laki. Berdasarkan hasil temuannya, penelitian ini merekomendasikan upaya yang lebih serius dalam menampilkan peran gender yang seimbang dan tidak hanya ditampilkan dalam teks tulis namun juga dalam gambar karena pada dasarnya makna dikonstruksi secara multimodal. Katakunci:konstruksi gender, visual grammar, teks gambar

Multimodal literacy: Unfolding reading path in children’s picture book and its potential for EFL classrooms

This paper reports on an investigation into the reading path patterns in a children’s picture book. The primary investigation focused on the semiotic resources involved in the construction of meanings in picture books, i.e. language and image elements. These semiotic resources provide insights into the unfolding of the storylines in the observed picture book. In order to detail the roles of these resources, a picture book entitled Tacky the Penguin (Lester, 1988) was selected and examined by employing two methods: Kress and Van Leeuwen’s (1996, 2006) structure of information value and Royce’s (1998) Intersemiotic Complementarity. The results of the analysis suggest that the whole picture book is built from a page-by-page reading path that allows for a linear and non-linear reading path. While each page presents a different layout of information value, the general pattern leads to a linear reading path from the beginning up to the end of the picture book. The mapping of the reading path is reinforced by the interrelated meanings between verbal and visual resources on the page. Drawing on the analysis results, this paper offers the delve into the flow of information from the language and image resources in the picture books that can be used to inform practical use of picture books in EFL classrooms

Teachers’ difficulties and strategies in teaching reading online under text-based approach

Ministry of Education highlights the role of teachers in improving students' literacy, and the Text-Based Approach has shown its capability in improving students’ literacy skills. It can be seen that the Text-Based Approach is implemented in the latest curriculum Kurikulum Merdeka. In relation to the post-pandemic era, online learning is familiarly applied in educational settings. However, it is not easy to implement a Text-Based Approach in an online learning setting. Thus, this research seeks to investigate the difficulties in implementing a Text-Based Approach for teaching reading in the online setting and explore teachers’ strategies in dealing with the difficulties. This research used a qualitative method through open-ended questionnaires as an initial screening and online interview with five High School English Teachers in West Java, Bandung. The findings show that the issues faced by the teachers are miscommunication in learning due to unstable connectivity, limited teaching duration, and technical errors

Genre-Based Approach in Writing Explanation Text: A Systematic Literature Review

This paper presents an analysis of a systematic review based on published studies on the genre-based approach (GBA) in writing explanation texts. The studies reviewed were from 2019-2023 with a total of ten studies. The objective of this review is to show how GBA enhances students’ writing skills in explanation texts, as well as the research trends related to GBA in the context of explanation texts. This review used thematic analysis to categorize the main themes that emerge in the selected studies. The findings show that the genre-based approach to writing explanation texts is very effective and enables students to understand and produce coherent, cohesive, and well-organized written works, as well as to improve their awareness and creativity skills, as they learn to examine, evaluate, and produce explanation texts, especially with the support of media or other techniques such as images, and jigsaw. These findings confirm that the genre-based approach improves students’ skills in writing explanation texts. Regarding the publication trends by year, there has been a limited number of research on GBA in the genre of explanation texts in the last 5 years, with the peak of publication in 2023 and 2020 (3 articles each), and the lowest in 2019 and 2022 (1 article each). In addition, most of the publications on this topic in the last 5 years came from Asian countries, with Indonesia leading the list, followed by Thailand

Teachers’ difficulties and strategies in teaching reading online under text-based approach

Ministry of Education highlights the role of teachers in improving students' literacy, and the Text-Based Approach has shown its capability in improving students’ literacy skills. It can be seen that the Text-Based Approach is implemented in the latest curriculum Kurikulum Merdeka. In relation to the post-pandemic era, online learning is familiarly applied in educational settings. However, it is not easy to implement a Text-Based Approach in an online learning setting. Thus, this research seeks to investigate the difficulties in implementing a Text-Based Approach for teaching reading in the online setting and explore teachers’ strategies in dealing with the difficulties. This research used a qualitative method through open-ended questionnaires as an initial screening and online interview with five High School English Teachers in West Java, Bandung. The findings show that the issues faced by the teachers are miscommunication in learning due to unstable connectivity, limited teaching duration, and technical errors

Identifying the proficiency level of primary English language teachers’ productive skills from Kurikulum Merdeka and CEFR

This study aims to identify the language proficiency level of primary English language teachers’ (PELTs) productive skills (speaking and writing) analyzed using the Common European Framework of References (CEFR) and Kurikulum Merdeka. As a foreign language in Indonesia, English language proficiency among PELTs is crucial to determine the success of the learning process in a classroom. Furthermore, PELTs should also possess adequate language proficiency to communicate effectively with students in any situation. However, several local context studies show the low language proficiency level possessed by PELTs. The low proficiency level was mostly gained through general English tests, for example TOEFL, which focuses on teachers’ receptive skills (listening and reading) and structure. A qualitative approach and case study research design were employed in this study. It was identified that the majority of teachers’ productive skills proficiency level is categorized into the B1/B2 level of CEFR. Additionally, the mixed level of proficiency among PELTs is still apparent which can create issues regarding primary-students’ language development and the standard of proficiency level that PELTs should be. Therefore, by involving subject teachers' communities and the government, a standard of language proficiency for PELTs should be developed.Mengidentifikasi tingkat kemahiran keterampilan produktif guru Bahasa Inggris tingkat dasar dari Kurikulum Merdeka dan CEFRPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi tingkat kemahiran berbahasa guru Bahasa Inggris tingkat dasar di bidang keterampilan produktif (berbicara dan menulis) yang dianalisis menggunakan Common European Framework of References (CEFR) dan Kurikulum Merdeka. Sebagai bahasa asing di Indonesia, kemahiran berbahasa Inggris di antara guru Bahasa Inggris tingkat dasar sangat penting untuk menentukan keberhasilan dalam proses pembelajaran di dalam kelas. Selain itu, guru Bahasa Inggris tingkat dasar juga harus memiliki kemahiran berbahasa yang cukup untuk berkomunikasi secara efektif dengan siswa di berbagai situasi. Namun, beberapa studi berkonteks lokal menunjukkan rendahnya tingkat kemahiran berbahasa oleh guru bahasa Inggris tingkat dasar. Tingkat kemahiran yang rendah mayoritas diketahui dari uji bahasa Inggris umum seperti TOEFL yang fokus pada kemampuan reseptif guru (menyimak dan membaca) dan struktur. Pendekatan kualitatif dan desain penelitian studi kasus digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Ditemukan bahwa mayoritas tingkat ke­mahiran keterampilan produktif berbahasa Inggris guru Bahasa Inggris tingkat dasar dikategorikan ke dalam tingkat B1/B2 menurut CEFR. Selain itu, beragamnya tingkat kemahiran berbahasa Inggris guru tingkat dasar masih kentara sehingga dapat mengakibatkan masalah pada perkembangan berbahasa siswa tingkat dasar dan pengukuran standar tingkat kemahiran berbahasa guru Bahasa Inggris tingkat dasar. Oleh karena itu, dengan melibatkan komunitas guru dan pemerintah, sebuah standar untuk tingkat kemahiran guru bahasa Inggris tingkat dasar harus dikembangkan

In-service EFL teachers’ self-perceived receptive skills

Professional English language teachers are expected to master subject knowledge that includes not only their knowledge of English language but also their proficiency in using the language. They can self-assess their proficiency and use their assessment result as the basis for their professional growth since it can inform which areas that still need improvement. Despite the importance of teachers’ self-assessment, there has not been much research on this, especially one that investigates the teachers’ perceived receptive skills.  This study, therefore, aims to explore the in-service teachers’ perception of their proficiency level, particularly of their receptive skills. This research uses a descriptive quantitative approach utilizing a survey containing 48 questions of self-perceived reading and listening skills which was distributed to in-service teachers in lower and higher secondary schools in Indonesia. This snowball survey received responses from 449 in-service teachers from various islands in Indonesia such as Java, Bali, Sumatera, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, and Papua. The results show that, in general, the participants considered themselves to be able to comprehend various text types concerning personal and daily issues in both written and spoken modes. However, when it came to comprehending longer texts with more complex linguistic choices and structures in both modes, an increase in the number of participants who struggled was evident. These findings indicate that while most of the in-service teachers were confident in their receptive skills. However, while only limited numbers of in-service teachers’ facing difficulties in comprehend longer and more specialized texts containing complex linguistic resources, support is still needed. Based on these findings, this study discusses several important implications for teacher educators and English teachers in Indonesia and offers recommendations for future research in EFL contexts

INDONESIAN HIGH SCHOOLERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF RUANGGURU IN ENGLISH ONLINE LEARNING

English language instruction in Indonesia has been impacted by the shift to online learning. One of the popular online learning platforms in the country is Ruangguru. Students can access its English learning resources anytime and anyplace. The purpose of this study is to investigate how Indonesian high school students view Ruangguru as an online resource for studying English. Data from the students who utilize Ruangguru was gathered via a questionnaire and facilitatied interviews. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze the data, combining qualitative analysis with descriptive statistics. The findings show that Ruangguru is well-liked by online English learners, particularly because its videos provide straightforward instructions that can inspire the students to become independent learners. However, some students continue to have issues with the limitations imposed by online learning and digital gap. Regardless, the majority of students consider Ruangguru to be a valuable English learning source in the age of online educatio