PUPPET AND POP UP PICTURES AS THE STORY TELLING MEDIA TO BUILD STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH COMPETITION

Abstract: Instructional Media in English language teaching has an important role to make the English learning more attractive and accessible for the students. Teachers have to be creative to make learning English as fun as possible since fun learning will make the learning process effective and efficient. Students will improve their creativity if the teachers can show a model for them. Media, such as puppet and pop up pictures are attractive for story telling activities. It is useful to help the students understand the story better especially for the young learners’ class. Moreover, junior high school student are able to create the media to support their performance and build their motivation in English learning. This article focuses on building the students’ motivation to join the English Competitions through puppet and pop up pictures as the story telling media. Several English competitions are held by many high schools for the junior high school students like speech contest, English songs contests, Olympiad, and storytelling contests. The most common competition held is story telling since this competition needs both the students’ English speaking ability and high creativity to create attractive media. Findings show that puppet and pop up supports the students’ performance in the storytelling contest and motivate them to join another one. This article tries to help teachers know better the use of media not only for teaching and learning in classroom but also for their students’ motivation and performance in joining English competitions. Keywords: puppet, pop-up, storytelling competition, motivatio

DEVELOPING SPEAKING MATERIALS BY INCORPORATING CHARACTER BUILDING ASPECTS FOR EIGHTH GRADERS AT SMPN 3 BATU

Based on the needs analysis stage, it is found that the existing speaking materials do not employ character building aspects as demanded by the curriculum.Therefore, new speaking materials that incorporate character building aspects need to be developed. Research and Development (R&D) by Borg and Gall (1983)was used in this research involving the needs analysis, material development, expert validation, try-out, and final product.Five units with various tasks and activities which include both individual and group activities were developed containing the topics ofFriendship, Speak Up, Making Telephone Call,Share Your Story, and Indonesian Folktales. The researchers adopted the task-based and project-based learning principles. Particular aspects of character building were chosen based on the activities to be done by the students so that the students will be aware that they learnmoral values during the lesson. To help the English teachersthis materials provides teacher’s guide so that the teacher knows what s/he should do to teach character building aspects. After being validated by two education experts and tried out, the product is considered appropriate and acceptable to be taught to eight graders at SMPN 3 Batu

DEVELOPING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ON ENGLISH ORAL COMMUNICATION FOR NURSING SCHOOLS

The needs survey shows that English communication skill of the students in nursing school speaking classes is not well developed. Consequently, the speaking instructional materials used in the classes need to be advanced. Yalden’s (1987) Language Program Development covering Needs Analysis, Syllabus and Materials Development, Expert Validation, and Try-out is used to produce a speaking syllabus and textbook for nursing students preparing to work at hospitals abroad with the following characteristics: (1) the topics are based on the activities of nurses in hospitals; (2) the vocabulary exercises are based on the nurses’ needs in understanding the nursing context; (3) the speaking activities are based on the needs to communicate in nursing settings using the principles of CTL; (4) the language functions are explained to support the nursing students toform their own sentences in their speaking practice. The product is found acceptable for nursing students

The Combination of Peer and Self-directed Feedback on Writing Ability of EFL High Proficient Students

Abstract: This study examined whether high proficient students who are trained with the treatment of the combination of peer and self-directed feedback (PSF) have better writing ability than the high proficient students who are not trained with this treatment. Employing a quasi-experimental research, this study involved two groups of 28 students given a writing test. The results pointed out that the students who were trained with the combination of PSF had better writing ability than the students who were not trained with the combination of PSF. Teachers are suggested to provide the combination of PSF to high proficient students. Further investigation involving moderate and low proficiency levels is suggested.Key Words: peer and self-directed feeedback, writing ability, English proficiencyAbstrak: Penelitian ini menguji apakah mahasiswa yang dilatih dengan perlakuan kombinasi umpan balik dari teman sebaya dan diri sendiri (PSF) memiliki kemampuan menulis yang lebih baik daripada mahasiswa yang tidak dilatih dengan perlakuan kombinasi umpan balik dari teman sebaya dan diri sendiri. Dengan desain kuasi eksperimental, penelitian ini melibatkan dua kelompok dengan 28 mahasiswa yang diberi tes menulis. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa mahasiswa yang dilatih dengan kombinasi PSF memiliki kemampuan yang lebih baik daripada mahasiswa yang tidak dilatih dengan kombinasi PSF. Guru disarankan memberikan perlakuan ini pada siswa yang mahir berbahasa Inggris. Penelitian lanjutan melibatkan kemahiran bahasa Inggris sedang dan tinggi pun disarankan.Kata kunci: umpan balik teman sebaya dan diri sendiri, kemampuan menulis, mahir berbahasa Inggri

Enhancing Students’ Writing Ability by Implementing Team Stand-N-Share Strategy

Abstract: This Collaborative Classroom Action Research was aimed at improving the students’ writing ability in recount text at Junior High School (SMP) TTN Paculgowang Jombang, East Java, Indonesia in Academic Year of 2014/2015. The subjects of this study were students of class VIIIA. The instruments in collecting the data were observation checklists, questionnaire, field notes and the students’ writing test. The results of the study show that there were improvement of the students’ participation and  im-provement of the students’ writing ability. From the data collected through students’ questionnaire, the researcher found out that most of the students had positive response toward the implementation of Team Stand-N-Share strategy.Key Words: team stand-n-share, writing ability, recount textAbstrak: Penelitian tindakan kelas kolaborasi ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan menulis siswa dalam teks rekon di SMP TTN Paculgowang Jombang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia tahun akademik 2014/2015. Subjek penelitian adalah siswa kelas VIIIA. Instrumen dalam pengumpulan data adalah daftar periksa observasi, angket, catatan lapangan dan ujian menulis siswa. Hasil penelitian menunjuk-kan bahwa ada peningkatan partisipasi siswa dan peningkatan kemampuan menulis. Dari data yang dikumpulkan melalui kuesioner siswa, ditemukan bahwa sebagian besar siswa memiliki respon positif terhadap pelaksanaan strategi Team Stand-N-Share.Kata kunci: team stand-n-share, kemampuan menulis, teks rekon 

The Debate of Written Corrective Feedback: What to do And Where to Go

This article presents the debate of written direct CF (WCF) stated by the previous studies. Being a controversial issue leads written CF into two different positions: that written CF is plausible for ESL and EFL learners (Bitchener et al, 2005; Bitchener, 2008; Bitchener & Knoch, 2008, 2009, 2010; Bruton, 2007, 2009; Chandler, 2003; Lee, 2008a, 2008b, 2008c; Montgomery & Baker, 2007; Lundstrom & Baker, 2009; Vasquez & Harvey, 2010; Evans et al., 2010) or that it does not contribute significantly for ESL and EFL learners (Truscott & Hsu, 2008; Bruton, 2007). Through the debate, there are two queries revealed: what to do and where to go. Finally, it can be concluded that an effort to assist learners in improving their accuracy of ESL and EFL writing has to be conducted by a teacher, and CF is one of the alternative techniques among others to make the learning outcome better. Moreover, both local and global aspects are to be checked and treated proportionally meaning the written CF should not only concern local aspects but also global aspects. Later, it would be better to evaluate the long term effect of providing WCF on other occasions (a month or a semester after WCF is given). Keywords: Written Direct CF, Indirect C

Enhancing the Students’ Learning Motivation by Using Instructional Media for Thailand’s Municipal School

In today’s era, the idea of conducting student exchanges and teaching practices overseas continues to grow. In this way, the cooperating countries can share their recent innovations in the field of education. The existence of a language barrier, however, may hinder learning and teaching in the classroom. Language barrier refers to the lack of a common language that prevents people from speaking to or understanding each other. It should be overcome as the information shared between teachers and students might be misinterpreted. This research was carried out as the researcher believed that the existing language barrier could be helped by increasing students’ motivation in the classroom. The aim of this study was to integrate the use of instructional media to enhance the students’ learning motivation of primary school in Thailand’s municipal school. This research used Classroom Action Research (CAR) design. The data was collected through the use of worksheets, still pictures, video recordings, interview guides, and field notes. The research results fulfilled the three criteria of success, namely classroom atmosphere, students’ learning motivation, and the strategy’s practicality. The researchers found that the use of instructional media could enhance students’ learning motivation and overcome the language barriers in the classroom

Reasons for English Undergraduate Students to Plagiarize

Abstract: Plagiarism is associated with a form of research misconducts that falsify another’s concepts, opinions, or words and recognize it as private property without giving proper citation of the original source. This article is a part of a larger study on English undergraduate students’ attitude toward pla-giarism which emphasize on the main reasons that might appear for doing plagiarism. This study was conducted at universities in Malang. The data comes from English undergraduate students’ question-naires. The result shows that the students present their confusion in determining their attitude toward plagiarism. This confusion were at least associated with two main reasons; external and internal factors. Further, recommendations for universities are provided.Key Words: plagiarism reason, undergraduate students, reasons, universities in MalangAbstrak: Plagiarisme merupakan salah satu bentuk pelanggaran dalam pemalsuan ide atau kata-kata seseorang yang selanjutnya diklaim sebagai hasil karya pribadi tanpa memberikan pengakuan sebagai sumber asli. Artikel ini merupakan penjabaran dari penelitian utama, yaitu sikap mahasiswa jurusan bahasa Inggris terhadap tindakan plagiarism. Penelitian ini berfokus pada alasan utama yang mungkin muncul ketika mahasiswa melakukan plagiarism. Penelitian dilakukan di beberapa universitas di Malang. Data didapatkan dari angket mahasiswa. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa mahasiswa mengalami kebingungan dalam menentukan sikap mereka terhadap kasus plagiarism. Kebingungan ini dikaitkan dengan dua alasan utama, faktor eksternal dan internal. Selanjutkan, peneliti memberikan rekomendasi untuk univer-sitas. Kata kunci: alasan plagiarisme, mahasiswa sarjana, universitas di malan

Exploring EFL Students’ English Reading Habits: Reading beyond Classroom Practice

Some previous studies have proven that having good reading habits is important for students. Regarding the importance of having good reading habits, it is essential that students who learn English as Foreign Language (EFL) to develop good English reading habits. If EFL students have good English reading habits, it will be much easier for them to receive language inputs and produce some language outputs after reading. The study is intended to investigate whether EFL students have good English reading habits as the fact that it is important for EFL students to develop good English reading habits. It covers the students’ general attitudes toward reading, the students’ amount of practice for reading English books, types of English materials the students read, topics of English texts the students read, number of English books the students read, the students’ purposes in reading English materials, and the students’ beliefs of English reading habits. This study uses descriptive research survey involving 154 EFL students of a state university in Malang, East Java, Indonesia. The results show that EFL students have developed good English reading habits, but they still need improvement in the frequency of reading practice and the number of books read. Besides, they have positive attitudes toward reading, various kinds of English reading texts and topics to read, various reading purposes, and positive beliefs toward English reading habits. However, it is found that some respondents have difficulties to give fast responses in answering the questions through the questionnaire platform used. Therefore, some suggestions are also given as the recommendations for future researchers related to this field of study

Investigating dominant and passive students on pair work towards the students’ writing performance

The research aims to investigate the significant difference between the mean scores of the writing performance of the students working in the dominant-dominant pairs (DDP) and those working in the dominant-passive pairs (DPP). It investigates the effectiveness of pair work to reveal in what pair the students have a better-writing performance. The experimental design using pretest-posttest design was used in this study. The writing performance of the students working in the dominant-dominant pairs (DDP) and those working in the dominantpassive pairs (DPP) was compared. The subjects of the study were the students of the English Department of private University in Madiun, East Java, Indonesia who were in their fourth semester. The current study employed the standardized proficiency writing test which was adopted from the TOEFL-Test. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were chosen to answer the research question. Independent t-test by using SPSS 17.0 was employed to see whether there was a significant difference in the mean scores between the students working in the dominant-dominant pairs (DDP) and those working in the dominant-passive pairs (DPP). The result shows that the students who work in the dominant-dominant pairs (DDP) perform better at writing performance than the students who work in the dominant-passive pairs (DPP). Furthermore, pair work provides the students with more opportunities to engage with one another to share ideas in writing. Thus, the teacher should arrange the best group of classification at the beginning of making a pair work before the students are asked to have a discussion in writing