FOSTER: Journal of English Language Teaching
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EFL Students' Perception on Using Mobile Learning Applications for Learning to Write
Get PDFOne way to aid in English learning is mobile learning. The main features of the mobile learning application are simplicity, engagement, and instant sharing. Mobile learning also has the potential to make learning to spontaneous, anywhere, and adapted to the wishes of the teacher or students (Miangah and Amin Nezarat, 2012). The objective of this study is to know what EFL Students’ Perception on Using Mobile Learning Application for Learning to Write. This study used descriptive quantitative research with survey design. To collect the data of the research, the data were collected through questionnaire. The population were EFL Students and sample of the study were 56 students. From the data analysis, it could be concluded that there were positive and negative perceptions among EFL Students. The total number of positive perceptions was 77%. Meanwhile, 23% students have negative perceptions. Mobile learning application used by EFL Students include Edmodo (11%), Google Classroom (36%), Google Meet (18%), Twitter (7%), and Quiz (28%). The most dominant Mobile Learning Application is Google Classroom
Developing Junior High Students’ Writing Skills through WhatsApp Messenger
Get PDFThe objectives of this study are to investigate the use of WhatsApp messenger to develop students’ writing skills, and to find out the benefits and challenges of the use of WhatsApp messenger to develop students’ writing skills. The design of this study was classroom action research. The researcher used observation, interview, and test to collect the data. In analyzing the data, the researcher followed the procedure of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The study reports that there was an improvement of the students’ recount text writing skill through scientific approach. In cycle I, the percentage of scores covers steps of rhetorical was (67.50%), grammar (71.25%), vocabulary (66.25%), clarity of meaning (67.50%), and relation between ideas (63.75%). In cycle II, the percentage of scores covers steps of rhetorical was (78.75%), grammar (78.75%), vocabulary (76.25%), clarity of meaning (87.50%), and relation between ideas (81.25%). This study also reports some benefits of using WhatsApp messenger were; the students used their creativity in teaching and learning activity, were interested in teaching and learning processes, and conveyed their assumptions in associating and networking freely. In contrast, it also had challenges in teaching and learning processes. The challenges were; most of students were not enthusiastic to follow teaching and learning of WhatsApp messenger. They must be persuaded to ask questions in questioning phase and they must be directed to be disciplined in the classroom.
 
Language Anxiety for Students of Intermediate Speaking Proficiency Level
Get PDFThe focus of research on students' anxiety when speaking a foreign language, such as English, has shifted to language learning and education. However, the experience of students who reached the intermediate level remains underexplored, particularly in the context of students in intermediate speaking classes. This study aims to identify the students’ reasons for feeling anxious and whether intermediate students also experience language anxiety. This qualitative research involved 20 participants from an intermediate-speaking class of fifth-year English Education Department undergraduate students at IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo. Data were collected using an unstructured interview and an observation sheet. Triangulation was used to analyze data by checking the credibility of data from interviews and observations. According to the findings of this study, students were anxious for three reasons: they were afraid of making mistakes, they were shy to speak, and they had lost motivation to speak. The students who joined the intermediate speaking class experienced anxiety as their psychological disorder. Anxiety was identified as the dominant psychological disorder among the students. It supported the previous research that found students of all levels experienced anxiety in their speaking English class. As a result, to alleviate students' anxiety about speaking a foreign language, teachers must consider the students' anxiety when developing teaching materials and media. 
High School EFL Teachers’ Continuous Professional Development: Target Needs, Reflection and Challenges
Get PDFThis research investigated the high school EFL teachers’ continuous professional development target needs, reflection and challenges. Further, the target needs of the EFL teachers were analyzed by adapting Hutchinson and Waters’ model (1987). The data were collected using a test, questionnaire (consisted of five parts), and interview; these were administered to 20 high school EFL teachers. A test was administered to identify EFL teachers' present situation and difficulties, and questionnaire parts 1, 2 and 4 dealt with the EFL teachers' difficulties, needs and purposes in the program. Moreover, these were used to identify EFL teachers’ target needs centered on their lacks, necessities, and wants to function in the target situation effectively. Parts 3 and 5 concerned high school EFL teachers' reflection and challenges in the professional development program they are involved in. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the high school EFL teachers to gather data to examine in-depth results of the target needs, reflections and challenges. The results suggested that the high school EFL teachers have different views of their lacks, wants and necessities. The findings also demonstrated that the high school EFL teachers reflected that the current professional development program practicing in their school was never conducted to help EFL teachers develop their profession. Finally, the result revealed that high school EFL teachers face various challenges in the current program they are taking. Therefore, the professional development should be revised according to EFL teachers’ target needs, reflections and challenges
Students’ Perception of Using Humor in Teaching English Class at SMAN 2 Tilatang Kamang
No full textThere were several student problems that the writer found at SMAN 2 Tilatang Kamang. First, Some students agree on using humor in the classroom, but some students disagree on using humor in the classroom. Second, Some students said that using humor in teaching English is necessary to make the atmosphere pleasant. Using humor in teaching helped them to understand the material quickly and made them enjoy the learning. Last, Some students said that the use of humor in learning English is good as long as they don't laugh too much in class because it will take up a lot of time in the learning process and cause the learning process to be not optimal. So, some students do not understand the material. This research aims to determine students' perceptions of using humor in teaching English classes. The researcher wants to determine whether students' perceptions are positive or negative. The instrument of this research used a quantitative approach with a descriptive form. The population was the Eleventh Grade at SMAN 2 Tilatang Kamang in 2020/2021, with 75 students. The researcher used the total sampling technique because the population was less than 100 students. The result of this research was taken by taking the average score of 6 types of humor in learning English, namely learning Caricature Humor (78,07%), Short Stories/Anecdotes Humor (78,53%), Special Humor (74,13%), and Unplanned Humor, Performance, Pantomime, and Gestures (73,12%). It was found that male and female students have positive perceptions of humor in teaching English. Female students had slightly better perceptions than male students (75,74%>73,81%). Thus, the result of the research showed that students supported the use of humor in teaching English class
The Impact of Snake and Ladder Game the Second Grade Students' English Speaking Skill at SMAN 1 Kota Tidore
Get PDFThe study aims to obtain empirical data on the effectiveness of using the Snake and Ladder game in teaching English to second-grade students at SMAN 1 Kota Tidore. The study was conducted in experimental and control classes. There were 60 participants. The study was administered over three treatments. During the treatments, classes were taught English with the same content in different ways; the experimental class was taught using the Snake and Ladder game, while the control class was taught using the conventional method. The instrument used in this study was an oral test with a speaking rubric. The result stated that the post-test mean score of the experimental class was 80.43, while the post-test mean score of the control class was 70.73. The result of statistical hypothesis testing by using an independent sample t-test found that at the degree of significance of 5% (α = 0.05), the t-value was 2.247 while the t-table was 2.001, or t-value > t-table. Therefore, H0 was rejected and Ha was accepted. Furthermore, Cohen's formulation was used for the effect size of the Snake and Ladder, and the result was 0.24. Therefore, it is concluded that teaching English using the Snake and Ladder game is effective in teaching English
Turning English Language Teaching into Service Learning: Transformative Education for Fourth Industrial Revolution
Get PDFThis research article means to academically elaborate the imperativeness of establishing a pragmatic convergence between English Language Teaching (ELT) and Service Learning (SL) as a worthwhile way of ensuring Transformative Education (TE) which, eventually, has a rewarding prospect of buttressing the ensuing as well as the currently-functioning Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The researchers delineate some feasible models for incorporating service-learning into ELT arrangements at the program offering entity, and thereby, illustrate how these SL and ELT combinations might result in TE, and, somehow or other, instigate FIR
Peer Review Technique in Teaching EFL Writing Skills for Senior High School Students
Get PDFThis research aims to determine how peer review improves writing skills for the tenth grade of SMA 13 Luwu Timur. It was applied before the experimental study, focusing on one group pretest and post-test design. The population in this research was the tenth grade of SMA 13 Luwu Timur. The research instrument used was a writing test (pretest and post-test). The data is analyzed by descriptive statistics and calculated using SPSS 22. The data analyzed by calculating the mean score and paired sample t-test revealed that the mean score of students in the post-test (55.08) was higher than the pretest (49.15). The t-count (3,118) is more significant than the t-table (2.179). This shows that the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted, and the null hypothesis (Ho) is rejected. It can be said that using peer review in learning can be recommended to improve students' writing skills
Empowering English Learning beyond Borders: Challenges and Benefits of Extracurricular Activities in a Non-Anglosphere Context
Get PDFEnglish language assumes a pivotal position in the socioeconomic advancement of Vietnam. The adoption of extracurricular mechanisms for English language acquisition is recognized as an innovative and potent overhaul of the pedagogical framework for English learners in Vietnam. This study was executed employing a quantitative methodology to ascertain the perceptions of tertiary level students regarding the advantages and obstacles encountered in their engagement with extracurricular activities directed at English language acquisition. Data was accumulated from 1,032 students pursuing higher education in an institution situated in the Mekong delta, facilitated by a questionnaire. The findings highlighted significant expectations students harbored for these activities. Particularly, they anticipated that engagement in these extracurricular endeavors would yield a positive influence on their linguistic competencies, while also fostering a conducive and collaborative environment for English language acquisition, thereby expanding their social networks with fellow participants. Nevertheless, the participants also acknowledged potential drawbacks. They expressed concern that participation in these activities might be time-consuming and could potentially diminish their motivation to partake, especially if the activities were not in alignment with their individual competencies and areas of interest. The findings of this study propose implications for enhancing the effectiveness of extracurricular activities for English language acquisition. Specifically, adequate financial and human capital investment is crucial, and the activities need to be meticulously planned to avoid an excessive time commitment from the students
Using Islamic Videos to Increase the Writing Skills of the Senior High School Students
Get PDFThe research aims to determine the effectiveness of Islamic Videos in increasing the students' writing skills and perceive the use of Islamic videos (History of Rasulullah). This research used Classroom Action Research (CAR); this study was located at Senior High School 1 Lasusua. The study was done on 28 September-02 November 2021. The research subject was XI IPA 2, and their total was 28. The instruments of this research were tests, observation techniques, and interviews. This research used two cycles in which every process had four steps: planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. The researcher analyzed the observation qualitatively and then analyzed the test quantitatively. The students' mean score in cycle 1 was 74.46, while the mean score in cycle 2 was 80.21. it can be concluded that the Islamic video (history of Rasulullah) increased the students' ability to write narrative text students' learning outcomes. To overcome the lack of student mastery in writing narrative text, the researcher solved it in several ways: (1) the researcher applied an Islamic video (history of Rasulullah). (2) Doing exercise in every meeting. (3) Reviewing the current material in every meeting. Doing the action shows that students always made an improved learning activity and a vast understanding of the material. Besides that, the students felt enjoyed and fun during the learning process