Thai Undergraduate Student Awareness of Regular and Irregular Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondence

<p>Recent events in Thailand in reference to the teaching of phonics for better comprehension of English vocabulary have highlighted the overuse of identifying letter-sound relationships in English by utilizing the familiar Thai orthography to assist developing Thai EFL learners. This paper investigated the long-term effects of using such pedagogy on recognizing regular and irregular Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondences (GPC) in English by Thai undergraduate students. To address this matter, the study used a convenience sampling of 373 first-year university students from 11 general education English classes at a mid-sized private university near Bangkok, Thailand. The familiar English poem <em>I Take It You Already Know</em> was employed for data collection, for it consists of a practical ratio of frequent and infrequent English grapheme-phoneme correspondences. Extensive lists of recognized grapheme-phoneme correspondences were used to identify the frequent or regular, and the infrequent or irregular main phoneme present in each of the 60 most frequently queried content words of the poem. Point-Biserial Correlation was employed to measure the strength of association between the frequency occurrence of the most queried content words from the data set, and the examined weighted word frequency data. The findings suggest that, in general, the Thai undergraduate students demonstrated an overall lack of recognition of regular and irregular Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondences of English. </p>

Exploring English Speaking Problems in Higher Education: Pre-Service English Teachers’ Perspectives

<p class="05IsiAbstrak">The purpose of this present study was to explore a dozen of English-speaking problems encountered by pre-service English teachers in one of Indonesian Higher Educations. The data of this qualitative study were garnered through semi-structured interviews to ten pre-service English teachers at Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kudus and relevant documentations. The results revealed that speaking English fluently is not really easy for the pre-service English teachers. In addition, they encountered some problems including lack of appropriate vocabulary, grammar mastery, correct pronunciation, and lack of confidence. This study presents an implication in accordance with the curriculum development of speaking course in higher education particularly at Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kudus including the need of reformulating the speaking course curriculum which emphasizes on the integration of technology to arouse the spirits among pre-service English teachers in speaking English. Moreover, the need of providing more chance to speak English for them both inside and outside of the class.</p>

Study on the Group Investigation Toward Teacher to Reduce Student’s Anxiety in Speaking Skill

<p>This study aims to describe the study on the GI (Group Investigation) toward teacher to reduce students’ anxiety in speaking skill. The research design of the study was qualitative which focus on descriptive qualitative research. It involved the Vocational school students as the participants. The data were obtained through the observation during the teaching and learning process and an interview with the teachers. In this study, the researcher accomplished several steps to analyze the data, namely reducing data, presenting data, and drawing conclusion. The first research finding revealed that Group Investigation was used by the teacher and the students in the class and out of the class. The teacher utilized Group Investigation to reduce students’ anxiety in speaking skill toward teachers’ response. Meanwhile, the students used Group Investigation model to give corrections and suggestions on their friends’ speaking in pairs or groups. The second findings revealed that the students gave positive responses toward the use of Group Investigation on speaking. The students said that Group Investigation is a practical model, develop students’ speaking skill, and interesting medium which make student enthusiastic. It also developed the students speaking ability, and able to motivated the students in speaking.</p>

Use of Hands up Media to Improve Students' Speaking Ability in English

Among the success of education is due to the quality of learning. The quality of learning is good because of the use of teaching aids. Likewise, the success of listening material is also supported because of the accuracy of the use of teaching aids. Here there is the use of practical teaching aids that can improve the quality of learning English, especially speaking material. Sources of data include 30 students consisting of 15 students. Data were collected through observation and documentation. To analyze the research data used descriptive quantitative methods with percentages. The percentage results are then consulted with predetermined criteria. The results show the effectiveness of hand puppet props in learning and improving students' abilities. Students become more active and motivated by the presence of hand puppet props. Props can increase students' learning motivation, thus supporting a learning atmosphere for students. The results of the evaluation of learning activities are generally good, as seen from the aspects of material suitability, understanding, analysis and synthesis, and learning intensity.

Analysis of the Mature and Necessity of Virtual Education in the Present Age with Emphasis on Effective Teaching Methods in Teaching English through Virtual Education

<p class="Normal1">English language teaching in virtual environment the selection of effective and appropriate teaching methods according to the characteristics and capabilities of this type of education is one of the problems that teachers face. In reviewing and analyzing teaching methods in virtual education can help teachers to adopt effective teaching methods. This paper using descriptive-analytical method and using library resources, first the terms synonymous with virtual education and the time of origin of this type of education are presented. Then, the definitions of virtual education, methods of providing virtual education and the necessity of virtual education are discussed, and then some effective teaching methods in English virtual education are stated and analyzed and concludes with the advantages and disadvantages of virtual education. Virtual education can be considered as a kind of lifelong learning that focuses on the learner and among the effective and inclusive teaching methods in this type of training that is useful for teaching English can be problem solving, online discussion, small online groups and methods constructivism pointed out. It can be said that by using special methods, it is possible to teach English better through virtual education.</p>

Illocutionary Acts in Main Character’s Dialogue of “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” Movie

<p class="05IsiAbstrak">The aims of the article are to find out: 1) kinds of illocutionary acts which are produced by the main characters in “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” movie, and 2) the most dominant illocutionary acts. In analyzing the data, the authors used descriptive qualitative method. The object of this study was main character’s dialogue of “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” movie. The authors did these following steps: watched the movie, found the transcript, identified the dialogues of main character, classified them using Searle’s theory, and interpreted the meaning of utterances. Here are 52 utterances with illocutionary acts. The results were: 1) Representative (assertive) (65%), 2) Directive (19%), 3) Expressive (8%), 4) Commissive (6%), and 5) Declarative (2%) in scale of 100%. Representative (assertive) was the most dominant. This study can be a reference for learning pragmatics, especially illocutionary acts. The teachers can also use movie as speech acts teaching media.</p>

Improving Student’s Reading Comprehension on Narrative Text Through Directed Reading Think Pair Share (TPS) at Madrasa Aliyah

<p class="05IsiAbstrak">The purpose of the research was to find out the improvement of student’s reading comprehension on narrative text through directed reading and think pair share at madrasa Aliyah of Manahijul Huda Ngagel in academic years 2019/2020. This research was done by applying Classroom Action Research which carried out through four steps. They were planning, action, observation, and reflection, in cycle 1 and cycle 2. The subject of research was the grade X-MIA, they are consisted of 30 students. Based on the result of the data analysis showed that mean of the score has increased in the cycle 2, the mean in the pre-test was 63,33%, the mean of cycle 1 was 74,33%. Then the mean of cycle 2 was 84,17%. The students who got up 75 also grew up. In the pre-test, students who got up 75 were only 5 of 30 students (16,67%). In the post test of cycle 1, students who got up 75 were only 17 of 30 students (56,67%). It means that there was improvement about 40%. In the post test of cycle 2, students who got up 75 were 24 of 30 students (80%). The improvement was about 23,33%. The total improvement of the student’s score from the pre-test to post test of cycle 2 was 63,33%. So, the result of the research showed that Directed-reading and Think Pair Share (TPS) strategy significantly improved student’s reading comprehension on narrative text.</p>

Students’ Awareness of Metacognitive Reading Strategies in Academic Reading

<p>Being aware of reading strategies becomes the key of readers’ success in reading process, this study began with its purpose to investigate the readers’ awareness of metacognitive reading strategies while facing academic reading texts. Then, the respondents here were whole 50 students of English department, who had completed the questionnaire of Survey of Reading Strategies Awareness (SORS). Those respondents were intended to reveal the type of reading strategies used during reading academic materials in English. The results of study revealed that those respondents were aware of using two of three categories of reading strategies while reading the materials. As the detail, the results showed that the respondents mostly tended to use the strategies categorized in Problem Solving Strategies (PROB) in order to solve their obstacle in reading. Global Reading Strategies (GLOB) as second place, which is mostly used by the respondents. And the last or the lowest strategies in use are Support Strategies (SUP).</p>

English Teaching Challenges at IAIN Kudus in Millennial Era

<p>This study is a qualitative descriptive research which aimed at exploring the challenges and strategies in teaching English at IAIN Kudus in millennial era. The informants of this research were the English lecturers in IAIN Kudus and the third semester students of English Study Program Tarbiyah Faculty of IAIN Kudus. The result of this study showed that the English lecturers faced some challenges in teaching English at IAIN Kudus in Millennial era. The challenges were related to technology, personal behaviors, mentoring, and communication. In facing those challenges, the English lecturers applied some strategies such as determining the specific time in accessing technology during the class, determining the allowed and unallowed attitudes that can be done in the process of English teaching-learning, giving mentoring to the students, and creating good communication with the students.</p>

English Communicative Competence of Health Vocational High Schools (Case Study at Health Vocational High Schools in Internusa Institution in Central Java)

Indonesia must prepare the high-skill categories needs for every aspects. One of the aspects is the ability to compete in this era, the ability to communicate with other. Indonesian needs English communicative skill to face the Industrial Revolution 4.0. The aims of the study are: understand Vocational High Schools students’ English communicative competence and to understand the teaching method on Improving English Communicative competence for Health Vocational High Schools. This research used descriptive qualitative method. The study used a TOEIC Test to know the result of the study and interview the English teachers, the populations of the study are the third grades of Health Vocational High Schools at Internusa Institution in Central Java, there are 552 students from 6 Health Vocational High Schools. The results of the study is the students English Communicative competence is still on score 186-250 (Memorized Proficiency). The teachers have appled many methods to improved the English Communicative competence. most of the applied Discovery Learning Method.