Testing Breadth and Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge and Their Relationship with Vocabulary Size of EFL Students

Testing the breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge is needed to see its effect on the vocabulary size of EFL students. The study aims to know at the relationship between the breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge and the vocabulary size of EFL students. This research was conducted in the 8th grade of Trimulia Junior High School Jakarta. This research uses a correlational research design. The sample was 51 EFL learners. The Vocabulary Level Test (VLT) and the Words Associates Test (WAT) were administered in this study. The scores were presented with descriptive statistics for two tests of the breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge. The results showed that the breadth and depth of the vocabulary knowledge test had a negative correlation with the L2 vocabulary size of EFL students. Using Statistic Product moment, the correlation coefficients found at 0.01 for the breadth and 0.11 for depth is included in the very weak category. So, there is a very weak correlation between the tests of breadth and deep vocabulary knowledge and the size of students' vocabulary. Keywords: breadth, depth, vocabulary knowledge, vocabulary sizes

Students' Perception of Using Group Work in English Class

Group work has become an essential part of modern methodology in teaching and learning because it offers teachers a powerful way to engage students and provides students with opportunities for cooperative learning. This study aimed to find out the students’ perception of using group work in English classes. Employing a survey design involving 50 tenth and eleventh graders, it was conducted in SMA 17 Agustus 1945 Jakarta. Data were collected through a questionnaire including five indicators. The collected data were analyzed using the descriptive technique. Findings revealed that group work had a positive impact on students’ attitudes. Moreover, group work enlarged their commitment in completing assignments.

Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Turkish EFL Learners: A Focus on Gender

This study aimed to (a) identify vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) employed by Turkish EFL learners; (b) determine whether the use of VLSs varies by gender. To achieve these aims, the vocabulary learning strategies scale developed by Kocaman and Kizilkaya Cumaoglu (2014) was administered to preparatory school students (n=209) at a state university in Turkey. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations) and an independent-samples t-test were used for statistical analyses. The results revealed that the frequency of VLS use was at a medium level. In addition, analysis of the sub-dimensions of the scale showed that memory, cognitive, compensation, and social strategies were used at a medium frequency level, while metacognitive and affective strategies were used at a high frequency. When VLS use was analyzed with respect to gender, a significant difference was seen between males and females, with female students having a higher total mean score than male students. Also, female students reported more use of memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, and affective strategies; however, no statistically significant gender difference was found regarding the frequency of the use of social strategies.

A Review of Current Conceptual Research on Short Stories Use in EFL Classrooms

Literature use in EFL learning and teaching has regained great attention in the last decades, and among all literary genres, short stories are regarded the most effective to fuse in EFL classrooms. Conceptual research exploring the use of short stories has significantly increased. However, reviews identifying the insights and ideas concerning the what, why, and how of using short stories in EFL classrooms in these articles are still rare. Thus this paper aimed to review 14 conceptual research published in 2011-2020 and indexed in Google Scholar focusing on short stories use in EFL learning and teaching to draw a general picture of the underlying reasons and difficulties in using short stories, considerations for selecting short stories, and how to exploit short stories in the classroom. Based on the analysis employing the constant comparative method, this paper reports the results. After discussing the findings, some suggestions are recommended.

E English Education Master Students' Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in Academic Writing

English Education Master Students’ Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in Academic Writing Kristian Florensio Wijaya Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta [email protected] Abstract There is a propensity for language teachers to handicap graduate students as independent, competent and strategic academic writers. Therefore, it is easier to discover graduate students struggling intensely to produce and publish qualified academic writing products to targeted journal articles. Due to this ubiquitous fact, self-regulated learning strategies need to be entrenched potently within L2 academic writers to enable them to become more mindful, resourcefulness, autonomous, and proficient academicians who excel in their subject-specific fields. This was a small-scale qualitative study implementing qualitative content analysis to obtain a more obvious portrayal regarding some specific phenomena taken place in one particular circumstance. To fulfill this objectivity, two research instruments were utilized in this study namely the Likert-scale Questionnaire and interview protocols to maintain the robustness of the data gathering processes. 15 English Education Master Students together with 3 selected interviewees were also invited to fill out the questionnaire and participate in the interview activities. In line with the gathered data, the qualitative results revealed that the majority of English Education Master Students have transformed into more life-long and proficient academic L2 writers for they continuously showed greater resilience, efforts, commitment to accomplish various academic writing projects. Keywords: Self-regulated learning strategies, academic writing, qualitative content analysis, academic L2 writers

Indonesian Novice EFL Teachers' Perceptions of the Use of Peer Assessment in Speaking Class

There is convincing evidence of the potential advantages of peer assessment; however, earlier studies on peer assessment in the learning process have largely focused on students’ views on it. Although much can be inferred from the students’ views about peer assessment in the learning process, there is a limited empirical study on the practical use of peer assessment by teachers and their responses. This study attempts to offer salient information for educational institutions, especially on the importance of peer assessment as a part of their instructional design for novice EFL teachers. This qualitative study aims to investigate Indonesian novice EFL teachers’ perceptions of the use of peer assessment in a speaking class as well as its’ benefits and challenges. The data was obtained from six Indonesian novice EFL teachers through a semi-structured interview. Findings revealed the two groups of teachers’ different perceptions, benefits, and challenges of peer assessment which were affected by their understanding of peer assessment and undergraduate study experiences. Hence, educational institutions for pre-service EFL teachers should take peer assessment into account to be integrated into their instructional designs to enable them to experience and perceive peer assessment as a valuable alternative way of language assessment.

Enhancing Academic Writing Skill Through Mini Lessons and Revision

An action research was conducted with class 12 science students (n=15) for three months with an aim of helping students improve their academic writing skill through mini revision lessons and feedback. The study was conducted based on pre-test-intervention-post-test design using mixed method. Test scores and interview were two main data collection tools. Data collected from test scores were analysed descriptively in percentage and average. Answers to interview questions were analysed thematically. Finding from the study revealed that students’ quality of writing improved proving the effectiveness of mini revision lessons and feedback.

Developing Students� Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Reading: English Teachers� Strategies in Selected Junior High Schools

The 2013 curriculum in Indonesia mandates that teachers should develop students� Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). One of the learning goals through HOTS is to make sure that students can analyze, evaluate, and create their knowledge. However, studies on HOTS issues in English learning, particularly in reading skills, are still very limited. Therefore, this study aimed at describing the teachers� strategies in developing HOTS in teaching reading skills. The researcher used a mixed-method, as it is relevant to the methodology needed in this study. The participants were 22 English teachers of Junior High Schools in Yogyakarta. The data were collected through questionnaires, observations, and interviews. The findings indicated that the strategies by the teachers to develop HOTS were as follows: (1) asking divergent questions to the students, (2) using group discussions, (3) informing learning objectives to the students, (3) giving feedback to invite the students to review, refine, and improve understanding about learning materials, and (5) giving motivation to the students to think critically. The recommendation for further study is also discussed.

Students� Perceptions of Teachers� Use of Bahasa Indonesia in the English Classroom

The use of the first language in the teaching and learning process is often found in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes. In Indonesia, Bahasa Indonesia is also employed in many English classes. This might bring both advantages and disadvantages to the students. This study aimed to find out the students� perceptions toward teachers� use of Bahasa Indonesia in the English classroom. The research employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design and administered a questionnaire to collect the quantitative data and an open-ended interview to gain the collective data. The participants were 60 students of SMA Fransiskus 2 Jakarta. The findings revealed that most participants perceived the use of Bahasa Indonesia in their English classes positive.

Students� Perception of Digital Texts Reading: A Case Study at the English Education Department of Universitas Kristen Indonesi

This study was conducted to explore students' perceptions of reading digital texts. To attain the objective, the data were collected through an online questionnaire uploaded in Google Form and an interview. The questionnaire was intended to collect quantitative data concerning the participants� responses about their interest and motivation, digital text reading efficacy, problems in digital text reading, and preference towards digital or printed text reading. The participants of the study were 65 English pre-service teachers selected from the whole students of the English Education Department of Universitas Kristen Indonesia in the academic year 2019/2020, and the sample was 65 participants. The collected data were analyzed descriptively using Microsoft excel. The findings revealed that the participants perceived digital texts reading positively. They preferred reading digital texts because they were motivating, interesting, and suite their expected way of reading. The main problem they encountered in reading digital texts was due to the screen light which could irritate their eyes.