BOOK REVIEW: ONLINE TEACHING OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN INDONESIA: LESSONS FROM COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The last two years have forced educators and learners to be digitally-literate or at least adaptable to the digital technology use drastically because of COVID-19 pandemic. This globally challenging condition was then captured and written by Didi Suherdi (2021) and published by Deepublish. Online Teaching of English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia: Lessons from Covid-19 Pandemic consists of seven chapters. It aims to provide new theoretical and practical insights of English teaching through online mode in the midst COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in Indonesia. This book covers various topics related to the research studies and notions of utilizing ICT as well as optimizing educators’ roles in the context of online teaching-learning process. Additional topics are also presented to promote the use of alternative ICT-based teaching models and teacher training in the online setting. Distinctively, this book is recommended for academicians who are concerned about ICT-use and eager to start an initial step to integrate and take advantage of ICT for the resiliency of the education system in the post-pandemic era

LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM IN INDONESIAN HIGHER EDUCATION CONTEXT

Indonesian university students are not well-familiar with language learning strategies (LLS) as they are dependent on their lecturers. This condition also gets worse because the students still have low level of proficiency although they have already been learning English for multiple years. There have been many researches on students LLS related to the four language skills and gender but there is a high need of studying the students LLS regarding their age in the Indonesian higher education context. This research aimed at investigating students language learning strategies related to their ages and providing some steps to make teaching program more effective by considering students LLS and their age as well. This research utilized descriptive survey research design. The participants were 122 English Department students at one of public universities in Borneo Island, Indonesia. The instrument was SILL questionnaire. All the collected data were analyzed statistically. The findings show that students mostly used metacognitive (M=3.857), cognitive (M=3.707), and compensation strategies (M=3.563). The students different age led them to select and implement different strategies. Some steps to optimize students learning strategies are through inserting LLS instruction in the curriculum of teaching program, implementing certain models of strategy instruction, and developing lecturers awareness of designing instruction at which one of the methods that can be employed is eclective methods. Considering all findings, it can be concluded that although indirect strategies get higher means of preference from the participants but they do not only focus on using indirect strategies. They combine those with direct strategies. Further, to make students more successful on their learning, the institution including lecturers and the academic community should take part in the effort of teaching learning strategies. This provides future research area that emphasizes on designing LLS instruction regarding students age and level of their education

LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM IN INDONESIAN HIGHER EDUCATION CONTEXT

Indonesian university students are not well-familiar with language learning strategies (LLS) as they are dependent on their lecturers. This condition also gets worse because the students still have low level of proficiency although they have already been learning English for multiple years. There have been many researches on students’ LLS related to the four language skills and gender but there is a high need of studying the students’ LLS regarding their age in the Indonesian higher education context. This research aimed at investigating students’ language learning strategies related to their ages and providing some steps to make teaching program more effective by considering students’ LLS and their age as well. This research utilized descriptive survey research design. The participants were 122 English Department students at one of public universities in Borneo Island, Indonesia. The instrument was SILL questionnaire. All the collected data were analyzed statistically. The findings show that students mostly used metacognitive (M=3.857), cognitive (M=3.707), and compensation strategies (M=3.563). The students’ different age led them to select and implement different strategies. Some steps to optimize students’ learning strategies are through inserting LLS instruction in the curriculum of teaching program, implementing certain models of strategy instruction, and developing lecturers’ awareness of designing instruction at which one of the methods that can be employed is eclective methods. Considering all findings, it can be concluded that although indirect strategies get higher means of preference from the participants but they do not only focus on using indirect strategies. They combine those with direct strategies. Further, to make students more successful on their learning, the institution including lecturers and the academic community should take part in the effort of teaching learning strategies. This provides future research area that emphasizes on designing LLS instruction regarding students’ age and level of their education.      DOI: doi.org/10.24071/llt.2018.Suppl210

SPEECH ACTS CATEGORIES: AN ANALYSIS OF CHARACTERS’ UTTERANCES IN “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST”

This study aims at analyzing speech acts in the dialogue conducted among characters in “Beauty and The Beast” movie and the implication of analysis for teaching English in EFL context. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in order to process the data comprehensively. Movie script and movie video were exploited as the source of data. The procedure of analysis was conducted through identification, classification, and utilization of comprehensive analysis of language use in relation to pragmatics and contexts in discourse approach. The findings showed that all type of speech acts were used by all characters in their dialogue. Among types of speech acts, directive speech act was frequently employed since it reached 92 times of use (57%). Particularly, the analysis of speech acts in characters’ utterances can benefit teaching practitioners mainly in making connection of using movie as learning media with the teaching of language in EFL setting. Therefore, students do not only watch the movie but they also learn the language simultaneously.         

The Use of Mobile Applications in Digital Project-based Learning to Improve Students’ English Speaking Skill

Background: For Indonesian teachers and students alike, learning to speak English is still a significant difficulty. The use of media, especially mobile applications in English language learning can help draw in learners, boost motivation, and encourage creativity. Methodology: Convergent parallel mixed-methods was employed with 40 students as participants in this research. The data used was tests, documents, observation, and interview which analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively through statistical Wilcoxon signed ranks test, coding, and thematic analysis. Findings: Mobile applications used in this research were YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram, Duolingo, Talk, Elsa, Seesaw, Cake, Pixton, Speech to Text, and Capcut. The implementation process was divided into 5 stages; planning stage, implementation stage, evaluation stage, reflection stage, and follow-up stage. The pre-test and post-test results showed that the value of the asymptotic sign (2-tailed) 0.000 < 0.05 indicated that the use of mobile applications could greatly enhance students' speaking skill. The students’ perception showed that mobile applications in the classroom made learning more convenient, students could use them to practice English skills, complete assignments, find out information, or even receive the materials their lecturers offer them. Conclusion: The use of technology, such as mobile applications, can be a useful aid in the study of the English language, giving students more exposures, practices, and individualized instructions. Originality: This research reveals the implementation, effectiveness, and students' perceptions of mobile applications used in digital project-based learning. It is possible to maximize the benefits and minimize the drawbacks

EFL PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION DURING TEACHING PRACTICUM

Professional identity construction significantly contributes to pre-service teachers’ readiness for their teaching career in the future. Despite the abundance of research studies investigating the professional identity construction of pre-service teachers during the teaching practicum, the research on EFL pre-service teachers constructing their professional identity in the Indonesian context, mainly in the border area, seems to have remained untouched. The current study aimed to scrutinize the factors, critical events, and EFL pre-service teachers' process of envisioning themselves in the future regarding their participation in the teaching practicum program. Employing an intrinsic case study, four seventh-semester students of the English Education study program at a public university in North Kalimantan were involved as the participants. The data were collected through observation, reflective journals, interviews, and related documents. All data were then analyzed using a coding system and coding cycle. The findings revealed that the factors contributing to the professional identity were past learning experiences, institutional policies, mentorship, and the school community relationship. The critical events the participants mentioned included students’ misbehavior, complicated political-social issues, and complex cultural negotiations. With different teaching experiences and teaching contexts, each participant differed in imagining their future selves and consequently in constructing their professional identity. The findings carry strategic and broad implications for building a solid tripartite partnership between student teachers, university, and school. Furthermore, pedagogical implications also call for the courses addressing EFL pre-service teachers’ needs of various socially and culturally situated teaching contexts, skills, and preparation before being involved in the teaching practicum in order to help these prospective teachers construct their professional identity gradually

INVESTIGATING EFL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ON ONLINE LEARNING AMIDST COVID-19 PANDEMIC

COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the shifting of teaching-learning process from the combination of F2F and online learning to full-online one. This study aims to investigate students’ perspective on the implementation of full-online learning mode in English classroom with a low-tech environment. Employing convenience sampling, 104 university students participated in this study. Survey method was utilized. The findings showed that (1) the respondents have had various level of familiarity using search engine, social media, e-resources and learning apps that enable them to comprehend the learning content; (2) the use of social media, e-resources and learning apps results a different impact on respondents’ perception on learning effectiveness; (3) the respondents are more digitally-literate in using learning application or other online-based platforms and enable to autonomously learn the course materials as well as improve their language skills; (4) support system needs to be increased to engage students in teaching and learning activities; (5) there is a requirement of feedback and consistency in determining course schedule and timeline for task and exam submission. It can be concluded that university students have positive and negative perspective on full-online learning mode. Suggestions are presented in the closure

Voice of EFL mentor teachers: Mentorship for mutual professional development.

This study aimed to report the voice of mentor teachers towards pre-service English teachers’ professional development viewed from relational, developmental, and contextual components during school teaching practice programs. The study employed a descriptive case study. Utilizing the purposive sampling technique, four mentor teachers from public and private junior secondary schools participated in this study. The instrument used was an interview protocol, and the data were collected through a one-on-one interview using a voice recorder for gathering a comprehensive perspective towards the pre-service English teachers’ professional learning. The data were analyzed by using a coding system and employing coding cycles. The findings showed that all components—relational, developmental, and contextual—were found. The mentor teachers voiced their perspective and stressed the developmental component because they found that the pre-service English teachers experienced hindrances both externally and internally regarding teaching performance, classroom management, and motivation. These hindrances contribute to their professional development. This present study result implies a policy implementation related to the synchronization between collaborating schools and universities. The synchronization can be in terms of preparing the mentor teachers and providing the pre-service English teachers a supportive mentorship. Furthermore, the collaboration between schools and universities is also required in the exchange of valuable sources concerning educational instruction trends such as evidence-based practices in peripheral contexts, English teaching for students with diverse cultural backgrounds and academic competencies, and dissemination of best practices that have been implemented in schools for the formulation of teaching theories being taught through course subjects at teacher education departments in the universities