Vision: Journal for Language and Foreign Language Learning
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Exploring Indonesian Lecturers' Perceptions and Practices on English Language Assessment
Full text linkAssessments are crucial in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL), impacting students' knowledge acquisition and influencing teachers' beliefs and training. The present research investigates lecturers' fundamental conceptions regarding assessing English as a foreign language (EFL) and their instructional practices in higher education. Twelve English department EFL lecturers participated in a study using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires. The research used a thematic analysis methodology to identify themes, classifications, and subcategories reflecting respondents' perspectives on EFL evaluation. The study's results showed that the subjects used diverse terminology to illustrate evaluation, offering a stimulating context for their respective methodologies. Furthermore, the participants believed that language assessment serves multiple purposes, including administrative and educational functions. Most respondents viewed evaluation as a continuation of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom instruction and acquisition, significantly influencing students' educational outcomes and learning strategies. Therefore, considering how assessments can improve student learning will likely influence educators' working in EFL assessment. Research highlights the need for professional development for lecturers to improve their understanding of language assessment and practice through workshops, training sessions, and resources
Does Interactivity in an English Presentation Affect its Preparation Process?
Full text linkThe purpose of this study is to clarify the differences in the process of students’ preparation and practice outside of class for a one-way or interactive English presentation. The participants were 105 third-year junior high school students in Japan. They were supposed to record their actions while preparing for each type of presentation outside of class for a week. A hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted on all learners based on a self-evaluation questionnaire administered beforehand. Three clusters were created from the dendrogram. Kruskal-Wallis test and multiple comparisons showed significant differences among all items. Each cluster was named "Self-rating (high)", "Self-rating (medium)", and "Self-rating (low)". These three groups were analyzed based on the records and the post-questionnaire. The results indicated that the amount of practice on the day of the presentation was greater for a one-way presentation in any group, while in an interactive presentation, the tendency of the group to “Self-rating (high)” was different from the others. The inclusion of interaction with listeners in a presentation confirmed motivation for further preparation, such as conducting research and creating additional questions and quizzes in advance, suggesting the possibility of a different range of effects on learning
Google Translate in EFL Freshmen’s Writing Assignments: Uses, Awareness of Benefits and Drawbacks, and Perceived Reliance
Full text linkAlthough technology use is inevitable among language learners, using Machine Translation (MT), such as Google Translate (GT), remains controversial in language learning. Despite its advances, it may be detrimental to L2 learning when used excessively, especially for those with more limited linguistic resources. This research investigates first-year EFL students' autonomous utilization of GT in writing assignments, explores their awareness of GT’s advantages and disadvantages, and assesses their perceived relative reliance on the technology. As many as 85 Indonesian EFL first-year students participated in this study by completing questionnaires consisting of closed-ended and open-ended questions. Even though most students recognized GT’s potential negative impact on language learning, this study reveals how various factors have contributed to its notably significant usage among them. While most participants reported using GT only occasionally and mainly at the word level, their use for translating longer texts was significantly higher than in previous research involving students at different English competence levels. Additionally, boosting confidence, convenience, and serving as language scaffolding were identified as GT’s main benefits, leading to students’ reliance on technology. Most expressed potential difficulty working without GT. Recommendations were made to support less-proficient students, given the growing prevalence of MT in language education
Challenges of Writing Research Articles in English for University-Level EFL Teachers
Full text linkWriting research articles in English is a challenging task for non-native speakers of English, as it requires linguistic competence, rhetorical awareness, disciplinary knowledge, and familiarity with the research writing conventions. The qualitative study explores English non-native speakers' challenges while writing research articles (RAs) in English. The participants were 12 university-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers selected using snowball sampling. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a thematic approach. The findings revealed four challenges: linguistic, rhetorical, disciplinary, and cultural. Linguistic challenges affect the clarity and credibility of the writing. In contrast, rhetorical challenges involve following the conventions, arguments, and citations of RAs in English. Disciplinary challenges require adapting to the norms and practices of different fields of study, and cultural challenges reflect the preferences for directness, formality, and objectivity in writing. The study shows the complexity and interrelatedness of these challenges and suggests a flexible and nuanced approach to overcome them
The Mapping Multimodal Teaching Materials for Indonesian EFL Students: A Need Analysis
Full text linkMultimodality has gained burgeoning attention among scholars from miscellaneous disciplines, such as Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, Semiotics, Sociology, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, and Language Pedagogy. Nevertheless, little is known about the issue of what teaching materials students need to develop their multimodal literacy, notably in the Indonesian EFL milieu. Hence, this case study addresses this void by examining what type of teaching materials university undergraduate students need to cultivate their multimodal literacy. This study involved 99 undergraduate students from three diverse classes as the participants. The data were garnered through a qualitative survey and semi-structured interviews. They were analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The findings outlined the needed multimodal teaching materials by the students encompass praxis-oriented multimodal teaching materials, awareness-raising multimodal teaching materials, academic and professional orientation of multimodal teaching materials, simplified and understandable multimodal teaching materials, critical multimodal teaching materials, and visual-verbal relation-informed teaching materials. The shifting needs of communication, literacy, and 21st-century learning skills remain crucial as a nexus between literacy policies and practices in higher education contexts, especially in Indonesia. More importantly, this study attempts to promote the magnitude of multimodal literacy in language education.
Exploring EFL Pre-Service Teachers’ Critical Incidents in Microteaching Practicum
Full text linkThis paper analyzes pre-service teachers’ critical incidents as reflected in their e-portfolios during their teaching simulation in the microteaching course. Three cycles of teaching practice were scheduled for each student-teacher. Thirty-six student-teacher critical incidents and e-portfolios were analyzed. Data were collected mainly from their e-portfolios containing their critical incidents. In addition, observations and focus group discussions were conducted to triangulate and confirm the students’ critical incidents. Results showed that of the total 130 critical incidents, 60 occurred in their first, 38 in their second, and 34 in their third teaching cycle. It indicates that the pre-service teachers struggle more at the beginning of their teaching practicum, go through the learning process, and develop their understanding of teaching. In addition, the student-teachers are empowered by obtaining the ability to sense the theoretical and practical gaps in teaching, indicate teaching problems and complexity, become aware of the challenging classroom management issues, and future professional development. This study highlights the importance of reflective practices such as critical incident analyses to be induced in teacher training programs. Through critical incident identification, pre-service teachers are trained to develop their reflection-on-action skills, pedagogical awareness, and choices and sharpen their sense of teaching problems, particularly when encountering theory-practice gaps
Exploring the Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on English Language Teachers
Full text linkThis study aims to assess how Indonesian Islamic higher education, specifically English language teachers, have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews to investigate the impacts of Covid-19 on English language teachers. Data were collected from ten participants, and thematic analysis techniques were used to analyze the data, including data familiarization, generating codes, grouping codes, generating themes, and finalizing findings. The study reveals that the pandemic has significantly impacted education, particularly English language teaching. It has led to a loss of interactive classroom experiences and obstacles to language acquisition. However, participants have benefited from increased accessibility to international seminars, workshops, and conferences. It has removed geographical and financial barriers, allowing participants to attend events at no cost and providing valuable educational advantages. Future research could benefit from larger-scale participation. In that case, a better understanding of the impact of valuable educational advantages gained from international events amidst Covid-19 on teachers’ teaching performances in the post-pandemic needs to be developed
Examining Students’ Perceptions of Indonesian High School Students on the Use of TikTok in Learning English
Full text linkWith the availability of mobile devices and Web 2.0 technologies, various networking apps have become essential to English language learning (ELL). TikTok, a global app similar to YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter, is becoming increasingly popular. TikTok is a video-sharing app that allows users to produce and share content while discovering material from other users. TikTok has yet to be thoroughly researched for educational purposes. However, some research suggests that social media can help language learners. This study evaluated Islamic school students' perspectives on using TikTok to learn English to enhance four English skills. In this study, 55 high school students from an Islamic country participated in an online quantitative research survey. The information was gathered using a Google Forms questionnaire. According to the research, students were enthusiastic about utilizing TikTok as a visual aid in enhancing their English skills. Writing was discovered to be the least likely of the four English skills to develop using TikTok Apps. Besides, students also stated a high preference for watching native English channels rather than local channels when learning English. As a result, TikTok has the potential to affect pupils' English proficiency positively. As a result, students and teachers can mix social networking apps to enhance English teaching and learning. Further research may be performed to look at students' voices, in the future teachers' views, and an experimental classroom design
Learning Ecology Perspective of Instructors to Enhance EFL Students' Speaking Skills: a Microsystem Perspective of Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model
Full text linkLearning ecology is considered a practical part of language learning, particularly speaking skills. In applicable terms, understanding ecological perspectives assists students in practicing speaking and other language skills better. Given the significance of learning ecology, this study investigates EFL instructors' perspectives on learning ecology to boost students' speaking skills using a microsystem viewpoint of Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model. The study stresses the gap in understanding the pivotal role of teachers' learning ecology perspectives in improving students' English-speaking skills. This study applied a qualitative research methodology with a phenomenological design to study teachers' perceptions of learning ecology. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with EFL Instructors in Indonesia with a triangulation of data sources to ensure validity and reliability. For data analysis, thematic analysis was used to search for reoccurring themes. The findings revealed that EFL instructors in Indonesia perceive learning ecology as highly influential for speaking skills. To take maximum advantage of it, instructors in Indonesia apply strategies like interactive learning and sufficient exposure. However, they also shed light on challenges in terms of the unavailability of native speakers. Their reflection on the microsystem proposed bringing EFL speaking to a more practical context. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of how teachers may construct a learning environment that fosters the development of ESL learners' speaking skills, influenced by Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model’s microsystem layer.
Parents’ Perceptions on the Efficacy of Yorùbá Folktales in Cultivating Moral Values among the Youths
Full text linkA quantitative study of parents’ perception of the efficacy of Yoruba folktales in cultivating moral values among the youths in Oyo State of Nigeria was reported in this study. Six hundred twelve parents selected through accidental sampling technique participated in the study. A 14-item close-ended researcher-designed questionnaire was employed for data collection. Mean, standard deviation, and the t-test were used for data analysis. The study’s findings revealed that the parents’ perception of the efficacy of Yoruba folktales in cultivating moral values among the youths was high, and there was a significant gender influence on their perception. The study concluded that Yoruba folktales cultivate moral values among the youth. It was recommended that parents should intensify efforts in ensuring that they engage their children with folktale narration and employ the moral values embedded in the tales to mold and educate their children to become good citizens.