THE EFFECT OF PRINCIPAL'S LEADERSHIP ON THE PERFORMANCE OF TEACHERS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE LESSONS IN SMPN PELALAWAN REGENCY

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of principal's leadership on social science teachers’ performance. The research was conducted in Pelalawan Regency taking Social Science teachers in Pelalawan Regency as the research subjects. The method used was a survey with quantitative techniques. The research sample was 150 Pelalawan Regency teachers selected using random sampling technique. The instrument used to collect data was a set of questionnaires used to quantify the school principal leadership level. Data of teachers’ performance were gathered from the teachers’ competency test (UKG) data. The results of this study indicate that there is a significant and positive influence of the principal's leadership on the performance of social science teachers at SMPN Pelalawan. The results of this study are expected to be useful for the improvement of the performance of school principals and social science teachers in Pelalawan Regency.

OBSTACLES FACED BY PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS DURING TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (PPG)

The government in Indonesia issues new rules to prepare pre-service teachers to be professional teachers in the future by asking them to attend additional education named Teachers Professional Education Program (locally known as Program Profesi Guru). This Case Study aimed to identify the obstacles experienced by pre-service English teachers in FKIP Universitas Riau during the PPG program and the Teaching Practicum (PPL) as a part of PPG program. This is qualitative research involving 10 alumni of the Subsidized PPG English Education Department. Focus Group Discussion was used to collect data from the participants. The data obtained were analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s thematic analysis and referred to the three procedures introduced by Flick i.e., open coding, axial coding and selective coding with the help of the Nvivo 12 software. The findings showed seven emerging obstacles faced by the pre-service English teachers during Teachers Professional Education Program (PPG). There were one (1) obstacle found at the first-semester theory program in PPG, and six (6) obstacles found at the second-semester practicum program in PPG which known as PPL.

WHATSAPP AS A LEARNING TOOL DURING COVID -19 PANDEMIC: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

This present study explores the advantages and disadvantages of WhatsApp (WA) as a learning tool during Covid-19 pandemic. WA is a messaging application that can be installed on smartphones and has many useful features. Researchers are interested in researching since many students and lecturers choose WA as an application for continuous learning while one knows that many applications are actually intended for learning. The design of this research was a mix method (quantitative and qualitative). This research involved 168 respondents as a sample. The instrument of this research was an open-ended questionnaire. To analyze the questionnaire, the researchers used the data analysis based on Miles, Huberman, & Saldana (2014). Three steps were applied: data condensation, data display, and drawing & verifying conclusion. The study concludes that most of the respondents believed that WA has more advantages than disadvantages. The advantages include it is effective and easy to use; the features are helpful, save internet quota, very light, easy to do communication, easy to observe the students. The disadvantages, however, is easy for the students to cheat, old chats are easily piled up by the new chats, the upload size is limited, and member capacity in the group is limited.

COMPLIMENT STRATEGIES PRODUCED BY EFL LEARNERS OF ENGLISH STUDY PROGRAM IN RIAU, INDONESIA

This research was aimed at analysing students’ strategies in giving compliments. This was descriptive qualitative research using a qualitative approach accompanied by descriptive statistics. This research involved 39 EFL students as the participants in the academic year 2019/2020 selected using cluster random sampling technique. The instrument used to collect the data was a DCT (Discourse Completion Test) containing a number of situations where the students were expected to give their compliment. The result showed that the students used many kinds of strategy in giving compliments. Explicit strategy was the most used by the students. Furthermore, the single explicit strategy appeared the most within overall strategies that appeared in the DCT. This implied that the students prefer to give a direct and simple compliment. One strategy in giving compliment appeared out of the classification which is congratulation attached to unbound semantic formula.

THE EFFECT OF JOURNAL WRITING TECHNIQUE ON STUDENTS’ WRITING ABILITY

This quasi experimental research aims at looking at the effect of Journal Writing technique on students’ ability in writing a paragraph. Specifically, the research answers the research questions about the students’ ability in writing, the effect of Journal Writing technique on the students’ ability in writing, and the students’ attitude toward Journal Writing technique applied in their Writing class. The sample are one class from the second semester of English Department students in 2017-2018 academic year. The data were collected through writing test and the distribution of a set of questionnaire. The results show that nearly 60% of students’ ability ini writing is at Average to Good level before the treatment. After the treatment, 56.76% of their ability is at Good to Excellent level. To test whether the increased score is statistically significant or not, the data were analyzed using t-test. Having t-obs (8.26) which is higher than t-table (2.030), it can be said that the teaching of writing using Journal Writing technique significantly effects the students’ ability in writing paragraph. The data from questionnaire support the previous findings where nearly 64% students have ‘high’ attitude toward Journal Writing technique applied in their class.

TEACHERS’ PERFORMANCE IN ONLINE LEARNING DURING COVID-19 OUTBREAK: AN ANALYSIS BASED ON 21st CENTURY PROFICIENCY

The pandemic phenomenon has forced the world of education to change the work pattern of services from conventional to online-based education and learning services. This study aimed to describe and analyze the level of teachers’ 21st century proficiency and its effect on teachers’ performance in online learning due to Covic-19. This research was conducted at the Alkautsar Integrated Islamic Education Foundation School, with a population of 90 teachers and a sample of 68 teachers. This is a descriptive quantitative research conducted by a survey design. The main tool for data collection is a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics by calculating the mean value of teachers' 21st century competence and teachers’ performance in online learning due to Covic-19. Inferential statistical analysis was also carried out to find the magnitude of the relationship and influence between variables. The results showed that the average score of level of teachers’ performance in online learning was 3.56 in the high category. The 21st century proficiency level of teachers with a mean value of 3.72 was also in the high category. It was also found that there is a significant relationship between 21st century proficiency variables and teachers’ performance in online learning of 0.809. The effect of 21st century skills on teachers’ performance in online learning was 65.50%. The conclusion is that the better the 21st century skills of teachers, the better the teacher's performance in online learning due to Covid-19.

DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) SKILLS AMONG STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES (SLD) IN MALAYSIA AND UKRAINE

This study aims to develop Information and Communication Technology (ICT)’s skills for Students with Learning Disabilities (SLD) in Malaysia and Ukraine. Methodology used in this study is based on the Universal Learning Design implementation which involved three phases: Preparation, Integration and Assessment. The Preparation and Integration Phases are the stages for designing ICT activities and practicing digital skills. While the Assessment Phase is the phase to determine the usability of ICT for SLD. The findings of the study show that the Preparation and Integration Phases study are the most effective types of activities for digital skills development. It is obtained from the opinion of the experts in ICT related to learning content ranging from simple to complex with a defuzzification value of 0.939. The results of the Assessment Phase show that SLD can develop their ICT’s skills by using videos related to real situations. It also provides SLD with activities that can build a communication network between them and public and private institutions. All these activities were provided to stimulate and motivate them to work hard to achieve the desired goals.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERACTIVE INTEGRATED SCIENCE E-MODULE WITH CONNECTED TYPE TO IMPROVE STUDENT'S MASTERY ON ENERGY TOPIC

Efforts to improve the quality of Integrated Science learning for junior high schools in the era of globalization that are following the challenges of 21st-century education can be done through the use of connected type interactive e-modules. The study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the e-module on students' mastery of energy concepts. The research method used is a descriptive quantitative quasi-experimental type with a matching-only pretest-posttest control group design. The research was conducted in one of the public junior high schools in Bangkinang with a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using research instruments in the form of mastery of concepts in energy material. Data analysis was performed using pre-requisite test, statistical test (different test; t-test), and N-Gain test. The results obtained show that the use of the connected type of integrated science interactive e-module can improve students' mastery of concepts on energy material in the experimental class with the medium category.

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO EFL LEARNERS’ SPEAKING PERFORMANCE

This research investigated the factors contributing to learners’ speaking performance and exploring the reasons why those factors are perceived by learners to contribute to their speaking performance. This was descriptive research that used both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The participants of this research were 28 EFL learners who were selected by using cluster random sampling. Closed-ended questionnaires, open-ended questionnaires, and interviews were used to collect the data. The data from closed-ended questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively using the descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages, while the data from open-ended questionnaires and interviews were analyzed qualitatively. Data from all sources were triangulated to validate the data. The result of the closed-ended questionnaire showed that the factors which contribute the most to learners’ speaking performance were the time for preparation and topical knowledge with the same percentages (97.4%). The least factor that contributes to learners’ speaking performance was the pressure to perform well (60.5%). Those factors contribute to learners' speaking performance in both positive and negative ways. These influences can either help motivate learners to speak English or even discourage them from doing so. It all depends on how learners’ value, respond to, and behave towards those factors. Furthermore, this research also gives contributions on factors that contribute to learners' speaking performance; those are vocabulary and interaction with native speakers.

THE MILLENNIALS’ EMOTION IN LEARNING USING TECHNOLOGY: DEMONSTRATING RESILIENCE OR FEELING DESPERATION?

The millennial generation is recognized as digital generation. The flourish and fast changing technology and information surround their lives. It is likely to influence and direct how they learn and socialize. One of significant learning media which is popular among today’s generation is video. The use of video, including vlog in English Language Teaching is prevalent today. However, how EFL students feel when they learn and create vlog are still under-examined. Thus, this study aims to explore several EFL students’ emotional experiences when they create vlog and academic video during COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The study adopts qualitative research method. The data are collected through the students- participants’ narrative and vlog or video analysis. The study reports several findings. The first is the students-participants experience emotional roller coaster of negative and positive states. The second finding is the student-participants develop resilient capacity after regulating emotion by developing self-assurance of personal benefits of learning, creating economic prospect orientation and establishing social senses and global relationship goals. The third finding is it highlights the need to incorporate technology, emotion and cognition learning to fulfil the need and passions of today’s generation.