Exploring EFL Students’ Perspectives: Integrating Mind Mapping as a Cognitive Tool in Academic Writing Class

The purpose of the study is to find out the EFL students’ perspective on the use of mind mapping as a cognitive activity in an academic writing class in the English education study program at Pattimura University. This study took 3 students (1 male and 2 females) from an English education study program. The In-depth interview is the instrument of data collection with qualitative as the research method. The result shows that the EFL students’ perceptions toward mind mapping seemed to have positive responses toward their language learning with several benefits based on their experience during academic writing class, such as the writing of students was more well-structured, increased students writing grades in academic writing and the beneficial using mind mapping made them becomes motivated in writing something. However, in the process, there were several difficulties that some students had to face when using this strategy such as they were to determine the sub-points and doing the mind mapping took more time, energy, and thoughts, and they were confused about where to start making a mind map. The study suggests that using mind mapping in writing classes, with proper support and training, can help students improve their writing skills. Encouraging its use in other subjects and adapting teaching based on feedback can make mind mapping a valuable tool for better learning and academic success. Keywords: Mind Mapping, Cognitive Tool, Academic Writin

The Analysis of Students' Psychological Problems and Its Solutions in Speaking English at One of the Junior High Schools in Aru Islands

and their solutions in speaking English. The research design of this study was a mixed method with an explanatory sequential design approach. The population of this study was second-grade students, and its sample was two classes consisting of 60 students and 3 English teachers who taught them. The instruments used in this study were questionnaires and interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed using the formula from Sugiyono (2005) f/n x 100%, while the qualitative data was analyzed using the technique by Miles and Huberman (1992:16) data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verifying. The results of this study indicate that students still have problems speaking English, especially psychological problems such as fear of making mistakes, lack of self-confidence, lack of motivation, and anxiety. Therefore, based on the problems above, there are several solutions provided by teachers and students to overcome these problems

The Correlation between Students’ Grammar Proficiency and Speaking Fluency: A Study in English Education Study Program

Speaking as the part of four main skills in English can be considered as the most demanding yet the most difficult skill to be mastered. Thus, several ways to master speaking have been researched by experts, one of which is in terms of fluency. As fluency tends to focus on students' ability to speak fluently, subtly, and spontaneously, the grammar aspect is rarely considered as one of the aspects that is related to fluency because grammar is closely related to accuracy. Concerning the aforementioned fact, the objective of this case was to examine the correlation between English grammar proficiency and speaking fluency. The researcher used quantitative method and correlation research design. The population was 103 of 2021 batch students, at English Education Study Program of Pattimura University of which the sample was 31 students from class A. The instruments were in the form of grammar written test and speaking oral test. The student’s grammar proficiency scores (X) and the student’s speaking fluency (Y) were analyzed and it is found that the distribution of data was normal and linear. The result of data analysis showed that the significant value was at 0.001 and the correlation coefficient was at 0.853. The interpretation of the relationship is positive correlation and the strength of correlation is perfect. Consequently, the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted which indicates positive and significant correlation between students’ grammar proficiency and their speaking fluency. These findings suggest that it is important for students to increase their grammar proficiency level in order to improve their speaking fluency

The Codes and their frequencies used by the Ambonese students of Petra Christian University in certain domains

This study concerns the codes and their frequencies used by Ambonese students of Petra Christian University in certain domains: friendship, daily life, education, and religion domain. The data were taken from a structured interview, which is based on a questionnaire given to forty Ambonese students in Petra Christian University. All the respondents were interviewed one by one by the writer based on the questions in the questionnaire. Furthermore, this study is supported by Sociolinguistic theories of codes and domain of language use presented by Janet Holmes. Finally, the writer found out that the Ambonese students tend to use the Indonesian language in formal domains, like education and religion. Besides, Ambonese as their mother tongue was mostly used in the friendship domain while talking about something informal. While, the use of Suroboyoan as the variety used by the majority people in Surabaya, often used by students in Petra Christian University, was used when the Ambonese talk or interact casually with their friends from Surabaya. Furthermore, since the interaction of Ambonese students in PCU are not limited only to those from the same ethnic group, but with others from other ethnic groups, the use of Kupangnesse, Papuans, English, and Jakarta dialect are also applied in certain domains