REiLA : Journal of Research and Innovation in Language

Multimodal Text-Powered Interactive E-Module for Enhancing English Structure Learning

2024-05-01T13:36:22+00:00

This study aimed to develop an interactive e-module based on multimodal text for the Intermediate English Structure course in supporting digital learning at Universitas Riau, Indonesia. The research followed a systematic Research and Development (R&D) approach and applied the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model, which integrated the initial research techniques with final evaluation methods to ensure the effectiveness of the e-module. This study utilized purposive sampling techniques which involved 42 students and experts in media and materials. The development started with a thorough analysis of students’ needs, obtaining a score of 3.05 which indicated high necessity. The subsequent step involved designing the desired product, which is an interactive e-module containing multimodal texts, that is, various types of texts which include written texts, images, animated videos and interactive quizzes. The e-module consists of six units; each containing sections such as video-based explanation, text-based descriptions, illustrative examples, interactive quizzes, and chapter summaries. Validation of the e-module was carried out by material and media experts, resulting in scores of 3.73 (indicating very valid) and 3.77 (indicating very valid) respectively. Then, when tested to students, the results revealed a 'clarity of language use in the learning material' indicator is 3.57 (indicating very good), while the 'ease of use' indicator stands at 3.60 (indicating very good). Thus, these results suggest that the developed e-module exhibits excellent quality and is well-suited to serve as a digital learning resource for the Intermediate Structure course in the English department at Universitas Riau, Indonesia. Furthermore, this e-module also has the potential to transform how students learn. With combination of different types of content, the researchers have created a tool that can set a new standard for digital learning at Universitas Riau and beyond.

Tapping into Assessment Literacy: Unfolding Assessment as Learning Strategies and EFL Learners’ Writing Development

2024-04-30T16:07:46+00:00

Assessment literacy in EFL education has been a growing area of interest, yet there is a lack of experimental research on assessment strategies for writing skills. This study aims to explore the impact of assessment as learning on writing development for EFL intermediate learners. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, including quantitative and qualitative phases. Thirty male EFL learners participated in the quantitative phase, while six students took part in the qualitative phase. The experimental group, exposed to assessment as learning strategies, showed significant improvement in writing skills compared to the control group. Semi-structured interviews revealed positive student perceptions, highlighting the strategies as challenging, new, and beneficial for reducing stress and enhancing participation. The results of the study confirmed that the experimental group demonstrated significant improvement in writing skills compared to the control group. Following the inter-rater and agreement reliability, seven common codes emerged from the semi-structured interviews with the students regarding the effectiveness of assessment as learning strategies including: challenging, new, good experience, improvement, good feeling, less stress, and more participation. A further implication of the study for EFL learners and teachers is that the holistic execution of assessment as learning strategies could enhance learners’ collaborative learning of writing skills and teachers’ writing assessment literacy. In the end, the study suggests that implementing assessment as learning strategies can enhance collaborative learning and teachers' assessment literacy in EFL writing education, providing a new perspective on assessment strategies in language learning.

Grammatical Gaps in Student Translations: Analyzing English-Indonesian Translation in Academic Projects

2024-04-30T16:07:46+00:00

Translating messages across languages while maintaining grammatical equivalence presents significant challenges, often resulting in deviations. These deviations stem from differences in grammatical structures between the source and target languages. This qualitative research study aimed to analyze the translation outputs of students enrolled in an English-Indonesian translation course, with a primary focus on grammatical equivalence indicators. The study encompassed 70 students across two parallel classes, resulting in a total of 70 documents available for analysis. The data were collected from the students' responses to a project involving news texts, specifically a news article from The Jakarta Post. The analysis employed Corder and James' Error Analysis (1998) methodology, encompassing error identification, classification, and specification based on grammatical equivalence indicators. The findings revealed that students frequently made errors in various grammatical aspects, including tense, aspect, number, voice, and person, with the exception of gender. Additionally, the study identified specific challenges related to the misplacement of English modifiers within noun phrases, leading to inaccuracies in their translations. These results underscore the importance of balancing theory and practical application in English language teaching, specifically in the context of translation. Emphasizing grammatical equivalence in both English and Indonesian is essential to enable students to produce accurate and idiomatic translations. This study not only sheds light on the challenges faced by students when translating from English to Indonesian but also offers valuable insights for enhancing translation education.

Metacognitive Reading Comprehension Instructional Model on Narrative Text: A Mixed Method for Enhancing Students’ Comprehension

2024-05-01T13:49:14+00:00

This study highlights the integration of metacognitive strategies in reading comprehension through a novel Three-phases instructional model, focusing on metacognitive strategies (pre-reading, while-reading, post-reading). This innovative model is distinct in its holistic approach to enhancing students' reading comprehension by activating their prior knowledge, engaging them actively in the reading process, and fostering reflective comprehension towards a successful strategic reading journey. Targeting narrative texts, the research was conducted with 70 junior school students from Tanjung Morawa, specifically selected for their lower proficiency in reading comprehension, highlighting the model's focus on addressing the needs of struggling readers. Through a mixed-method approach, employing both tests and questionnaires for data collection, the study demonstrated that the instructional model significantly boosts students' reading comprehension. The mean score improvement from 62.85 (pre-test) to 83.71 (post-test) underscores the model's effectiveness and its potential to significantly enhance students' reading comprehension skills. A survey of 35 students further validated the model's role in elevating their awareness and motivation for reading, with making a prediction which got 28 (80.0%) is the most commonly used, followed by restating ideas with 23 (65.7%) and thinking aloud with 21 (60.0%). These results not only bridge the existing gap in reading instruction but also carry significant implications for educational practices and literacy development. It serves as a testament to the potential of innovative instructional models in enhancing reading comprehension.

Beyond Forced Migration: The Narrative Communication in the Resilience of Cipaku's Displaced Communities

2024-04-30T16:07:47+00:00

This qualitative study explores the resilience of Cipaku's displaced communities through narrative communication, shedding light on the unique sociolinguistic dynamics of development-induced displacement. Anchored in the Communication Theory of Resilience (CTR), it delves into how displaced individuals employ communicative processes. The study focused on interviews with 12 individuals selected using snowball sampling technique from Cipaku Village who have lived through displacement more than 10 years due to forced migration, and supported with field observation to gain documentation in capturing their memories and subsequent positive adaptations. Data was analyzed using the NVivo 12 Plus software, which facilitated the organization, coding, and thematic analysis relevant to the study's objectives. The findings of this research delves into how displaced individuals employ communicative processes; crafting normalcy, affirming identity, maintaining networks, employing alternative logics, and foregrounding positive actions to navigate the upheavals of displacement. It highlights how displaced populations actively reconstruct their social realities, preserve cultural identities, and sustain community cohesion through narrative communication. This study also points to gaps in understanding the erosion of linguistic diversity within displaced communities and recommends further exploration of digital communication's role in sustaining displaced communities' communicative networks.

Theme-Rheme Pattern: Its Contribution to Cohesion and Coherence in The Students’ Research Background

2024-05-08T14:06:01+00:00

Cohesion and coherence are pivotal aspects of academic writing. Although the analysis of these elements in academic texts has garnered considerable attention from researchers worldwide, there remains a notable paucity of studies focused on the research backgrounds of student texts, particularly with respect to their educational level. This study sought to explore how the effective utilization of Theme-Rheme structures can enhance the overall clarity and organization of students’ research backgrounds. Employing a qualitative content analysis approach inspired by Krippendorff (2004), this study meticulously scrutinizes fifty samples of academic papers to discern the prevalence and variations of Theme-Rheme patterns and their impact on the logical flow of information. The thematic structure formulated by Halliday & Matthiessen (2004/2014) and the thematic progression framework by Bloor & Bloor (2004) were instrumental in analyzing the data. The findings reveal that students utilize a variety of theme types in their research backgrounds. The unmarked theme is the most prevalent, accounting for 55% in undergraduate theses (UT), 54% in master's theses (MT), and 59% in doctoral dissertations (DD). Following this, the textual theme is utilized at rates of 30% in UT, 34% in MT, and 31% in DD. The marked theme appears less frequently, comprising about 13% in UT, 11% in MT, and 8% in DD, while the interpersonal theme is rarely employed, with an approximate usage of 2% across all educational levels. This study sheds light on the significance of Theme-Rheme structures in academic writing and offers valuable insights for educators and students alike, who are striving to enhance the quality of their academic papers.

Unveiling Translation Patterns: A Study of English Novel Title in Indonesia

2024-05-01T00:45:35+00:00

Effective titles captivate readers and encapsulate the essence of a work. This is especially true in novel translation, where titles bridge cultural gaps and introduce readers to new worlds. Thus, it is becoming a crucial consideration for translators when translating a title. They must transfer it meticulously from the source text (ST) into the target text (TT). One of the critical texts to be studied is a novel for its unique naming, which can be a significant challenge for translators. Hence, this study tried to examine how the novel title in English is translated into Indonesian and discover the following factors for using each title. Mixed method approached was to identify the type of title used towards the novel. It closes the gap that exists between qualitative and quantitative approaches. The data were collected from 114 English novels and their translations published before 2000. Accessibility was an essential criteria in selecting these titles, which are more consistent in terms of language and structure.This study discovered that the literal title translation type is the most prevalent, with 38.6% frequency, while the alternative title type denotes 35.1% frequency. Moreover, the researchers found 21.9% of data in the naturalized loan title category. The loan title with original orthography is the most minor category, with only 4.4% of the data. Further examination also highlights the need to consider shifts and meanings in exploring how Indonesian novel titles are translated. This paper also revealed several linguistic and cultural factors for utilizing each title type. As a result, title translation patterns offer translators practical insights to improve cross-cultural literary perspectives and the nuanced presentation of novel titles in varied language contexts.