ONLINE WRITING EXCHANGE WITH OVERSEAS STUDENTS: EFL LEARNERS’ ERRORS AND PERCEPTIONS

Writing skill is crucial for non-English students, like agriculture students because students are required to write an abstract of bachelor thesis in English. Nowadays, writing is not only conducted conventionally i.e. using paper and pencil, but also using the internet through online writing exchange. Several studies regarding students’ writing errors have been conducted but error analysis of agriculture students’ writing using online writing is still less researched. To fill this gap, the present study aimed to analyze the types of errors made by agriculture students during joining Online Writing Exchange with Japanese students and students’ perception of the Online Writing Exchange program. 137 students’ writings were analyzed and identified the error and counted the error. Questionnaires and interviews were used to know students’ perceptions.  The results showed that there were three types of error made i.e. mechanical, grammatical, and L1-influence error. Students’ perception toward the online writing was positive although they face several difficulties. It is noteworthy that different writing media affect students’ different writing errors

VIDEO ASSIGNMENT AS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IMPLEMENTATION: STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES

This study aims to describe students' experiences with video-based assignments. The researchers were interested in determining how and what students thought about the video-format assignment that was assigned to them.  Specifically, the objectives of this study are: 1) to categorize the types of video assignments that are commonly assigned to students by lecturers; 2) to examine the perspectives of students about the types of video assignments; and 3) to identify the primary challenges and difficulties that students frequently encounter during the production process of these video assignments. To achieve this objective, the researchers employed two data collection techniques: online surveys and interviews. More than 100 students completed the online survey using a Google Form. Subsequently, the researchers proceeded to conduct interviews with a selection of respondents derived from the summary of questionnaire respondents. The findings of this study indicated that the video assignments are mostly an individual work. Students do not perceive this type of activity as burdensome, provided that not all courses require assignments in the same format, specifically video format. The authors further elucidated that the primary challenges encountered in the production of video assignments pertain to the preparation of materials and the subsequent editing process. In short, these findings are expected to serve as the predominant determinant for implementing video assignments among students in the foreseeable future, enabling them to successfully and optimally complete such projects

Learning from COVID-19: how Indonesian English teachers see computer-assisted language learning?

The COVID-19 outbreak has transformed various parts of life, including teaching and learning methods. Teachers, especially Indonesian English teachers, were taken aback by the abrupt transition from offline to online instruction because it was unanticipated and unprepared. This paper attempted to investigate how teachers implement their pedagogical knowledge in the online environment during the pandemic and how they improve on using computer-assisted language learning (CALL) during the sudden shift from offline to online instruction. The findings revealed that teaching methods are being adapted to accommodate the features of the online platform. In order to adjust to this new situation, teachers use their creativity to adapt the stages of cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and class discussion in an online context. Participating in virtual workshops and training also helps teachers improve their digital skills concerning internet material. In the future, the results of the present study can be applied to improve the teacher education curriculum. Specifically, it is suggested to construct a course for the teacher education curriculum that places pre-service teachers in diverse and challenging conditions

INFORMATION GAP: SPEAK FLUENTLY IS BETTER IN EFL CONTEXT

This paper aimed to review small talk technique proposed by Hunter (2012) and to propose information gap. Small talk is another way of corrective feedback. The teacher gives feedback after the activity is done by giving them written feedback/worksheet. The feedback is given to develop the students’ accuracy and speaking complexity ability. However, the question on how accurate the students should be will emerge. Whether students are expected to be native-like or not. In EFL context, it is hard to make the students to be native-like since English is foreign language for them. The naturalness of environment does not give language input for them. Thus, students can speak fluently is better than speak accurately in EFL context. As long as, the students can deliver the message is enough because communication is to deliver the missing information between speakers. The information gap technique is the way to develop the students’ fluency. This technique provides the real communication which is delivering the missing information. In conclusion, students should speak fluently in EFL context

KINDS OF QUESTIONS MAKING EFL STUDENTS LEARN: STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION

Interactions in the classroom play an important role because learning occurs in the interactions between more knowledgeable person and less knowledgeable person. Interactions in the EFL classroom can be seen as a dialogic activity in which the lecturer raises questions to the students. This study attempted to uncover the types of questions which can make students learn. The participants of the study were the lecturer and students of Language Learning Assessment course. The data of this study were the students’ perceptions on what kinds of questions make them learn and lecturer’s verbal questions. The results of the study show that there are four kinds of questions raised by the lecturer, namely analogy, optional, convergent and divergent questions. From those kinds of questions, divergent questions can make students learn because those questions drive students to have a discussion in which students can interact each other

English teaching method training to improve the competency of kindergarten teachers

The English Teaching Methods training program as a Community Service activity was carried out at one of the kindergarten schools, in Malang city. This training aims to improve the professionalism of kindergarten Teachers in teaching English materials. This activity consists of several stages namely preliminary study, material preparation, onsite training, and evaluation. The preliminary study, which involved discussion with presenters and school principals, was conducted to identify problems and assess teachers' needs. During the training process, teachers are equipped with theoretical frameworks, methodological examples, and English teaching materials specifically tailored for the effective instruction of young learners. Subsequently, the educators were allocated a period for discussion, during which they engaged in the development of inventive approaches and media. These outputs were subsequently delivered on the next day. The training instructors also offered feedback for every new method and media creation that was presented by the teachers. Upon the end of the training program, the participants offered testimonials and suggested ideas pertaining to the training. In addition, the lecturers offered instructional objects that can be utilized when teaching English in kindergarten

USING THE INFORMATION GAP TECHNIQUE TO PROMOTE THE MOTIVATION OF THE EIGHTH GRADERS OF SMPN 3 PASURUAN TO SPEAK ENGLISH

ABSTRAK   Prasetianto, Mushoffan. 2011. Using the Information Gap Technique to Promote the Motivation of the Eighth Graders of SMPN 3 Pasuruan to Speak English. Thesis, Department of English, Faculty of Letters, State University of Malang. Advisor: Dra. Sri Andreani, M.Ed.   Key Words: speaking, information gap, motivation   Speaking is important for communication. The school-based curriculum demands that the students should be able to communicate orally in English. However, the results of preliminary study in the eighth grade of SMPN 3 Pasuruan show that the junior high school students face some problems in speaking. Most of the students had low motivation to speak because they were afraid of making grammatical mistakes. To overcome the problems, the researcher implemented the information gap technique. The technique was chosen because it is concerned with language meaning not language forms. In the previous studies, it also proved to be effective in motivating students to speak. This study adopted the Classroom Action Research (CAR) design proposed by Kemmis and Mc Taggart (1988). The research was conducted in two cycles, each comprising four stages, i.e. planning an action, implementing the action, observing the action, and reflecting on the observation. The subjects were the students of class VIII A of SMPN 3 Pasuruan which consisted of 36 students. There were two kinds of data gained: the students' motivation and the students' frequency of speaking. The data were taken from the students and the English teacher by means of questionnaires, observation checklists, interview guides and field notes. The data were analyzed through qualitative methods, interpreted on the bases of the criteria of success and presented descriptively. The results of the study show that the information gap technique met the criteria of success. The students' level of motivation increased from low to fair. And 58% of students show an increase in the frequency of speaking from passive to active and 8.4% of students show an increase in the frequency of speaking from passive to very active. In this study, the researcher used real life materials, gave examples to clarify the instructions, informed the students of the learning objectives, and used group work instead of pair work. Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that the implementation of the information gap technique in the teaching of speaking in class VIII-A can help the students improve their motivation to speak. It is suggested that English teachers apply the information gap technique to increase students' motivation to speak. In addition, further researchers are suggested to use the information gap technique in different grades and level of education to see whether the technique can be implemented effectively.

KINDS OF QUESTIONS MAKING EFL STUDENTS LEARN: STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION

Interactions in the classroom play an important role because learning occurs in the interactions between more knowledgeable person and less knowledgeable person. Interactions in the EFL classroom can be seen as a dialogic activity in which the lecturer raises questions to the students. This study attempted to uncover the types of questions which can make students learn. The participants of the study were the lecturer and students of Language Learning Assessment course. The data of this study were the students’ perceptions on what kinds of questions make them learn and lecturer’s verbal questions. The results of the study show that there are four kinds of questions raised by the lecturer, namely analogy, optional, convergent and divergent questions. From those kinds of questions, divergent questions can make students learn because those questions drive students to have a discussion in which students can interact each other