From Interference to Fluency: Analyzing Indonesian Students' Progress in English Oral Communication

Susanto Susanto; Deri Sis Nanda; Shameem Rafik-Galea; Aprilia Yunda Supasa

doi:10.31849/elsya.v5i1.10281

Susanto Susanto Universitas Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4551-0760
Deri Sis Nanda Universitas Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7939-5639
Shameem Rafik-Galea SEGi University, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Aprilia Yunda Supasa Universitas Lancang Kuning, Pekanbaru, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v5i1.10281

Keywords: Language exchange, Communication strategy, Linguistic aspect, Spoken language, Task-based approach

Abstract

This study examines the progress of Indonesian students in spoken English through a task-based approach in an EFL classroom. The aim of the study is to identify communication strategies and linguistic aspects used by the students during oral interaction and production. The data collected from 50 Indonesian students attending a Phonetics and Phonology course at Universitas Bandar Lampung was analyzed using triangulation with class diary and self-assessment questionnaires. The findings show significant improvements in oral interaction and production, including negotiation, cooperation, mediation, intonation, fluency, pronunciation, and rhythm. However, the students made less effort to intervene in the spoken code of the interlocutor and their own interlanguage. The study recommends training tasks that emphasize paraphrasing and self-improvement of oral discourse to enhance their overall oral proficiency in English. The findings of this study have important implications and provides a promising framework for improving students' communication strategies and linguistic aspects. Therefore, these findings suggest that effective language teaching should prioritize not only linguistic aspects but also communication strategies that enable effective oral interaction. This study's recommendations could be useful for language educators worldwide seeking to enhance their students' overall oral proficiency in English.

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Author Biographies

Susanto Susanto, Universitas Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia

He is a lecturer at English Education Study Program, Teacher Training and Education Faculty, Universitas Bandar Lampung (UBL). He is also the Head of Centre for Studies in Linguistics UBL. He earned his doctoral degree in Linguistics and Phonetics from English and Foreign Languages University, India. He conducted postdoctoral research at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. Some of his major interests are linguistics, phonetics, language metafunction, discourse analysis and forensic linguistics.

Deri Sis Nanda, Universitas Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia

She is a lecturer at English Education Study Program, Teacher Training and Education Faculty, Universitas Bandar Lampung (UBL). She is also the Head of English Education Department UBL. She earned her doctoral degree in English Literature from English and Foreign Languages University, India. Her major interests include English literature, postcolonial literature, English education, and cyber literature.

Shameem Rafik-Galea , SEGi University, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Shameem Rafik-Galea is a Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Faculty of Education, Languages and Psychology, SEGI University Malaysia. She has a PhD in Applied Linguistics & TESOL from the University of Leicester, UK, a Master in TEFL and BA in Linguistics from the University of Southern Illinois, USA

Aprilia Yunda Supasa, Universitas Lancang Kuning, Pekanbaru, Indonesia

Aprilia Yunda Supasa is a Language Specialist and Research Assistant at Team-7 of the Institute of Research and Community Service (LPPM) at Universitas Lancang Kuning in Pekanbaru, Indonesia. Alongside this, she is an Associate Editor at REiLA: Journal of Research and Innovation in Language (Sinta 2), a position she has held since 2022. Currently, she is pursuing her degree in English Education at the same university, further enhancing her knowledge and skills in the field.

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