Elsya : Journal of English Language Studies

Beyond Technical Skills: Academic Language Proficiency and Perceived Difficulty in Technical and Vocational Institute

Gashaw Shewangizaw — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 01:47:56 +0000

Effective communication skills are important for vocational trainees' academic and career success. However, limited research has examined language learning difficulties specific to Ethiopian technical contexts. This study explored self-perceived English language difficulties among trainees in building construction, road construction, water construction, surveying, architectural design, wood science technology programs at the Federal Technical and Vocational Training Institute. It aimed to identify difficult language skills and determine relationships between perceived difficulties and demographic factors. A sample of 138 trainees from Civil Technology Faculty of a TVT Institute was selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire measuring perceived difficulty of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 purposively selected trainees. Descriptive statistics, thematic analysis and constant comparison were employed for quantitative and qualitative analyses. Quantitative findings showed academic writing skills perceived as most difficult, particularly understanding conventions. Academic listening skills like note-taking and summarizing also posed challenges. Interviews revealed unfamiliarity with genres and lack of background knowledge exacerbated difficulties. Perceptions differed by trainees' program, gender and English proficiency. Thematic analysis identified factors like anxiety, experience, and self-efficacy as influencing perceptions. The study provided a comprehensive understanding of TVT Institute trainees' academic language needs in Ethiopia. Targeted support is recommended to scaffold challenging skills based on identified individual differences and modifiable difficulties. Mainstreaming language development across the curriculum optimizes trainees' preparedness for technical careers and lifelong learning. This mixed methods exploration of language difficulty perceptions contributes to knowledge on dimensions shaping TVT Institute students' experiences. Findings inform tailored instruction and program improvements to better equip diverse learners for workplace competencies.

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Reflective Practices of Pre-service English Teacher in Indonesian EFL Context

Mukhni Rahma Wati Harahap, Rahmah Fithriani — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 11:26:51 +0000

Reflective practice has become an issue that has been widely researched, but very few have linked it to pre-service teacher self-efficacy, especially in the Indonesian context. Despite the Ministry of Education’s advocacy for reflective practices as an expected competency, Indonesian teachers have relatively low awareness of the concept and even fewer truly implement the practice. This study is intended to investigate the relationship between EFL pre-service English teachers’ self-efficacy and reflective practices. The quantitative method was chosen since the researchers intended to find out whether there is a significant relationship between pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and reflective practices with computed by SPSS 23. There are 15 pre-service English teachers of UINSU as the sample and there are 8 items in this study. Researchers used 5 point Likert scale. Simple random sampling was technique to gain the data. The result of data analysis reflected that the null hypothesis (Ho) is rejected. It means that the teachers’ self-efficacy and reflective practices has significant relationship that marked on sig. value is 0.01 is below than 0.05 with level of relationship moderate (0.884). This research contributes to increasing practioners’ awareness of reflective practices and has a significant effect on pre-service English teachers to understand the role of self-efficacy and reflective practice better before teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to their students. The results support that reflective practice can make pre-service English teachers achieve and maintain their professionality English teachers in their career.

Analysis of Sentence Types in Affecting College Students’ Writing Skill

Barokatul Hidayah, Siska Bochari, H. Jamiluddin — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 03:09:51 +0000

College students are required to complete an undergraduate thesis as part of their final project. However, when addressing the issues students face with their limited vocabulary, their choice of proper grammar, and their syntactical or word class problems, etc., researchers seldom carried out a focused exploration on dominant sentence types. This study aims to identify the most dominant sentence type used by the students in their writing, determine the forms of sentences used within the dominant sentence type, and analyse the factors influencing students' writing. This research used a quantitative descriptive method with an innovative methodological approach, namely a fishbone diagram to analyse the underlying factors. 105 background proposals from 7^th semester students in the English Department at Tadulako University participated in this study. A simple random sampling technique was employed, and questionnaires and document analysis were used as instruments to gather data. The data analysis results show that: (1) simple sentences made up the majority of the dominant sentence types used in students’ backgrounds; (2) nominal sentences were the second most common form of dominant sentences used by the students; and (3) there are three factors that impact students' writing, particularly regarding sentence types: internal and external factors. The implication of this research is the development of writing skills where sentence types are an essential part of writing. The results can aid students in crafting clear and coherent sentences, specifically how to structure sentences effectively to convey their ideas logically, avoiding run-on sentences or fragments that can obscure meaning.

Theoretical perspectives of integrating technology into English language learning

Yustinus Calvin Gai Mali — Wed, 08 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Three issues of technology integration into English language learning are present: inquiries on what and how technology is used to support language learning, ignorance of theoretical foundations and technology standards as a basis to design technology-supported language tasks and instructions, and English language teachers’ attitudes that put technology far ahead of language learning. In response to these issues, this theoretical paper aims to discuss resources where teachers can find reliable technology to support their language teaching practices. It continues to explain language learning and task engagement principles and technology standards as a basis for designing language tasks and instructions. The author supports the discussions with relevant literature and instances of some technology-supported language tasks. The paper then proposes a professional learning community meeting where the teachers can learn collaboratively with their colleagues in a supportive learning environment on how to use various tech applications. The paper concludes that teachers with principled ways of using technology should perform better in supporting students’ learning with technology than those who design a technology-based task and instruction mainly based on their personal (and biased) experiences on what worked well with technology.

Macao, Qatar and Jordan: A Cross-Country Exploration of Three Countries’ Literacy Enrichment Programs

Uspessy Shuha Cornelia, Ilza Mayuni — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 10:58:16 +0000

When assessing a country’s level of education, referring to their Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores can be stated as an overused trend, one that has been criticised as PISA alone is not the most perfect way to judge a country’s readiness. To address this weakness, this study will also refer to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), another world-class test that specifically focuses on literacy, yet has been underutilised in reading-related research. This paper is a case study on three countries which have shown different levels of performances. Using PISA and PIRLS reports as the main data and general literature review to supplement the contextual details of the reported results, the analysis focused on how Macao, Qatar and Jordan employ diverse strategies to cultivate and elevate literacy skills among their students. Results show that Macao is a leader in government-led efforts that focused on developing teacher competence, Qatar develops their children’s literacy through collaboration and competition, and Jordan focuses on all language skills in balance (with few programs exclusively concerned on reading competence). The novelty of the findings is its comparison of two international assessments that have a different scope, as PISA offers a holistic view of contextual factors affecting literacy whereas PIRLS covers information that are crucial for understanding early literacy development.

Students’ Perceptions on the Effectiveness of the Taboo Game in Enhancing English Vocabulary Acquisition

Sri Dewi Lestari, Emeliya Sukma Dara Damanik — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 10:57:55 +0000

The integration of game-based learning methods in language education has been explored to varying extents, yet there remains a significant gap in understanding how specific games like the Taboo Game can impact English vocabulary acquisition among junior high school students. This study aims to address this gap by examining students' perceptions of using Taboo to enhance their English vocabulary. Participants included 34 junior high school students from MTs Madrisatul Ikbar during the first semester of the 2023/2024 academic year, with a subset of 12 students selected for interviews. A purposive sampling technique was employed to identify participants. The study utilized a descriptive method with a qualitative approach, collecting data through observation sheets, questionnaires, and interviews. Findings indicate that the majority of students perceived the Taboo Game positively, noting improvements in vocabulary retention, increased engagement, and reduced anxiety in learning English. Despite some differing opinions, the overall consensus highlighted the game's effectiveness and enjoyment as a learning tool. This study underscores the potential of Taboo as an engaging and effective method for enhancing English vocabulary skills in a junior high school setting.

Unveiling the Landscape of ClassDojo in Education: A Systematic Review

Delitya Islamy Putrie, Urai Salam, Dwi Riyanti — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In the backdrop of the evolving game-based educational platforms from online resources, language researchers have directed their attention toward the utilisation of ClassDojo due to its multifunctionality, which includes many features such as attendance tracking, messaging, portfolio management, games, and more. This qualitative systematic review examined the existing research on using ClassDojo in the classroom. The purposes were to provide evidence of ClassDojo for teachers, students, or parents and to identify the study characteristics, such as the publication trends, participant profiles, or the methodological approaches from the published research about ClassDojo. The initial database search used Publish and Perish (PoP) version 8 and identified as many as 174 published research. However, twenty-three journal articles were selected after conducting the screening process by applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results from the analysis of 23 articles found that articles released in 2021 (n = 6) were the most frequently used in this systematic review study. Then, for the education level of participants, the elementary education settings received the most attention (n = 6). Additionally, experimental design (n = 7) was the methodology most frequently employed by the study under investigation. Furthermore, the reviewed studies also show that ClassDojo is mainly used as a teaching and learning media (n = 8). Thus, the productive use of ClassDojo was recommended because it can effectively manage student behavior, promote positive classroom management, and enhance parent engagement. Therefore, ClassDojo can potentially enhance online interaction in the class and provide a community to share classroom activities privately or publicly among teachers, students, and parents.