The Utilization of Authentic Materials in Indonesian EFL Contexts- An Exploratory Study on Learners’ Perceptions

The aims of this study were to find out the kinds of preferred authentic materials (AMs) utilized by EFL learners at Islamic State College of Kerinci (STAIN Kerinci), Indonesia; and, to explore the learners` perceptions on the utilization of preferred AMs in EFL classrooms. This study was carried out of focus-group interviews towards seven learners selected by using snowball sampling technique. The findings of the study show that the EFL learners utilize various kinds of AMs including internet-mediated AMs, printed AMs, audiovisual (video) AMs, and audio AMs. It was reported that each kind of materials has either advantages or disadvantages. The advantages of AMs included: improving and developing skills or abilities on listening, reading, speaking, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. The materials also make the learners aware of the importance of native-speaker cultures through which real English is learnt. However, the disadvantages of AMs included: unlimited in length and lack of academic instructions. It is recommended that EFL teachers should provide various AMs in EFL classrooms. The AMs should be selected and balanced with EFL learners’ English abilities or levels

Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Experiences in Teaching Practicum in Rural Schools in Indonesia

A teaching practicum is officially offered to pre-service English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, randomly selected for either urban or rural schools. The study aims to describe and disseminate the obstacles experienced by those teaching English in rural schools during their Teaching Practicum Program (TTP). Seventeen pre-service teachers participated in the qualitative study. Interviews and observations were the main methods of data collection. The results reveal that the obstacles faced by the pre-service EFL teachers were around classroom management, learning materials or resources, teaching aids or media, teaching methods, learners\u27 English skills, choice of language use, slow internet connectivity, learners\u27 motivation, evaluation technique and parental support. The discussion includes implication for need to reorganize future teaching practicum

The Agricultural Production of China, Japan and Asiatic Russia

This paper will attempt to evaluate the agricultural production of China, Japan, and Asiatic Russia in the post-World War II period. The appraisal is based on the agricultural productions which are raised mainly for food consumption; however, such industrial crops as cotton, flax, and hemp are considered also. The claims of the Chinese First Five Year Plan, results of the Japanese Land reform, and the land development program in Asiatic Russian are all examined. A comparison is made between the pre-war and post-War periods in an effort to determine the amount of increase in production of agricultural goods, on both gross product and per capita basis. It concludes with en examination of the self-sufficiency of each country, its need for importing and/or exporting agricultural goods and their implication

Použití matice sousednosti při podmínkovém vyrovnání nivelační sítě

The main part of this article is devoted to a modified method for calculating levelling nets based on nullifying conditional equations. This modified method consists in ordering the measured data in the so-called incidence matrix, and the main acceleration of the computation process is achieved by an automated set-up of conditional equations and subsequent calculations. A part of this article comprises a comparison of this modified method with a method where conditional equations are set up in a standard way.Hlavní část článku je věnována modifikaci výpočtu nivelační sítě anulováním podmínkových rovnic. Tato modifikace spočívá v seřazení měřených dat do tzv. matice sousednosti, hlavní zrychlení výpočetního procesu pak spočívá v automatizovaném sestavení podmínkových rovnic a následných výpočtů. Součástí článku je porovnání této modifikované metody se způsobem, kdy jsou podmínkové rovnice sestavovány běžným postupem

GESTICULATION

Seorang seniman mengekpresikan ide-idenya dalam karya adalah repleksi berbagai hal yang pernah dilihat ataupun dirasakan. Kepuasan batin, kepedihan hidup, penentangan, penggugatan dan kritik terhadap hal-hal mapan dan konvensional sering menjadi tema yang menarik untuk diungkap. Kadang terjadi visualisasi yang kental dengan pemaknaan dan kreatifitas perupaan non konvensional yang berlebihan menjadikan karya-karya tersebut sulit dipahami bagi sebagian orang. Penikmat seni sering tidak menemukan kepuasan batin secara gamlang, namun diajak untuk berpikir dan berdialog melalui ikon-ikon tanda yang disampaikan. Seniman berkreasi mencari sesuatu yang berada diluar kebiasaan yang ada dan berlaku pada suatu komunitas, salah satu model berpikir kreatif. Karena yang dipentingkan adalah ekspresi individu dan penuangan ide-ide kreatif yang dimiliki. Seperti halnya seorang seniman Putu Sutawijaya alumni ISI Yogyakarta asal Tabanan yang kini menetap di Yogyakarta, berpameran di Bendara Budaya Bali 28 Desember – 11 Januari 2011 lalu, tampil dengan karya-karya patung berbahan logam, kayu dan kawat besi. Putu mengekspresikan pengalaman hidupnya pada suatu kumunitas yang disebut banjar. Seniman yang beristrikan orang Malaysia ini, pada awal kariernya dikenal sebagai seorang pelukis dan telah berpameran di beberapa negara. Karena pencariannya yang tiada henti, ia kemudian mengembangkan media garapannya pada ruang tiga dimensi yaitu seni patung. Pengalaman hidup yang tertuang pada karya-karya patung tersebut diberi judul “Gesticulation”, berasal dari kata gesture berarti gerakan tangan. Karya-karya patung ini menampilkan ekspresi gerak tangan, anggota tubuh lainnya untuk menyampaikan makna tertentu. Visualisasinya ada yang tunggal ada yang berkelompok mengusung pesan menyerupai karya instalasi. Karya-karya tersebut dirupakan tidak realistis, bagian muka datar, bentuk anggota badan dibuat dengan lempengan-lempengan besi bentuk persegi pada bagian-bagian tertentu dibiarkan berlubang. Lubang-lubang tersebut kemudian diisi garis-garis lurus dengan material kawat. Karya-karya Putu terlihat dibuat sangat terampil dan memperhatikan komposisi serta proporsi dari bentuk manusia. Penulis berpendapat karya-karya tersebut mampu menampilkan keindahan karena keterpaduan dari unsur-unsur pembentuknya. Herbert Read menyebutkan bahwa keindahan adalah kesatuan hubungan bentuk-bentuk. Penilaian keindahan biasanya terlepas dari pemaknaan yang ingin disampaikan senimannya. Penilaian keindahan adalah sebuah penilaian kejujuran

PROMOTING ICT IN EDUCATION: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ROLES TO ENHANCE A BETTER LEARNING

Teknologi informasi dan komunikasi memiliki manfaat dan kelemahan untuk siswa di kelas pengajaran bahasa Inggris. Peran teknologi informasi dan komunikasi tidak dapat lepas dari kelemahannya., karena setiap fungsinya tidak hanya dapat membantu, namun juga berbahaya untuk siswa jika mereka menggunakannya untuk hal-hal yang negatif. Untungnya penggunaan teknologi infomasi dan komunikas dalam kelas harus selalu dipromosikan guru Bahasa Inggrsis yang mengharapkan bahwa siswanya akan mendapatkan informasi lebih dan terbaru melalui peralatan seperti internet. Untuk meyakinkannya, guru akan menjadi model dalam menggunakannya. Mereka harus menyajikan cara belajar yang efektif dan modern dengan menggunakan peralatan yang canggih seperti internet, ponsel android,dan jenis lain dari peralatan wireless. Teori harus diikuti oleh praktek yang nyata yang dapat dengan mudah diraih oelh siswa. Lebih banyak praktek yang mereka lakukan, maka mereka akan menjadi lebih baik lagi. Faktanya telah banyak ahli menggunakan teknologi infomasi dan komunikasi dalam bidang pendidikan. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has both advantages and disadvantages for learners in an ELT classroom. The roles of ICT are not separated from their weaknesses, since each function of ICT tools is not only helpful , but also harmful for learners if they are utilized in a wrong way. Fortunately, the use of ICT in the classroom should always be promoted by English teachers who expect that their learners will obtain more and up-to-date information via the tools such as the internet. To convince, the teachers are the models of using the tools. They have to present effective and modern ways of learning by using advanced tools such as the internet, android mobile phone, and other types of wireless tools. Theories have to be followed by a real practice that can be easily achieved by the learners. The more practice they practice, the better they will be. The fact has been testified by many experts in the use of ICTs in education

Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in English: Insights from Pre-service EFL Teachers

Oral language skill among EFL students can be indicated from willingness to communicate in English. This current study aimed to investigate pre-service EFL teachers’ (PST) willingness to communicate (WTC) in English across rural setting. A survey study with 217 EFL students as the participants selected through a convenience sampling was employed. A questionnaire of the willingness was distributed through in-class meeting and online mode. The first result revealed that there is a variety of perceptions on oral skill willingness, self-confidence, and English use frequency. The second result showed that from junior and senior PST, it is noted that seniors mostly overdid juniors in terms of willingness to speak English. Meanwhile, female PST had greater levels of WTC if compared to that of the males. In conclusion, WTC not only emerge to be a valuable aspect in learning oral language skills, but also impact on other English skills indirectly.

Business Plan in Catering Services

Bakalářská práce se zabývá podnikatelským záměrem ve stravovacích službách. V teoretické části je popsán obecný postup jeho tvorby a stěžejní teoretická východiska. Praktická část řeší založení konkrétního podniku, jeho finanční a jiné aspekty, přičemž simuluje první tří roky jeho fungování a jeho šanci na úspěch v konkurenčním prostředí.This bachelor´s thesis deals with business plan in catering services. The theoretical part describes the general process of its creation and the fundamental theoretical basis. The practical part deals with the establishment of a particular company, its financial and other aspects, while simulating the first three years of its operation and its chance to succeed in a competitive environment.152 - Katedra podnikohospodářskávelmi dobř

Responses and preferences of rural Islamic university EFL learners for written corrective feedback

The primary objective of this current investigation was to provide a detailed account of the experiences of English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners in their response to Written Corrective Feedback (WCF). Additionally, the study aimed to explore the preferences of these learners regarding the utilization of WCF in their thesis writing within the context of a rural Islamic higher education institution. The participants of this study consisted of twenty-two senior EFL learners who were in the process of writing their theses as their final projects. To gather the necessary data, semi-structured interviews were extensively utilized. The findings of this study revealed that EFL learners employed various strategies when responding to WCF, including a focus on grammatical error correction, an emphasis on overall error correction, the utilization of online grammar checkers, and seeking guidance from their supervisors. Furthermore, the learners' perception of WCF included their preferences, disfavored aspects, advantages, and disadvantages. These results indicate that EFL learners are expected to engage in intensive learning of grammar and writing. Additionally, it is crucial to establish standardized approaches to providing WCF. In conclusion, WCF proves to be a valuable tool for EFL learners in their thesis writing endeavors