Asynchronous Learning: An Answer in the Era of Pandemic

The condition of the COVID19 pandemic has changed the habits of the world, including the education sector in Indonesia. For schools with strong economic strength, both students and educators will have no significant difficulties in implementing face-to-face online learning in a full manner (synchronous). On the other hand, there are many obstacles to implementing synchronous learning in schools with low economic abilities for both students and educators. One learning method that can be done with minimal barriers is asynchronous learning. Akademi Maritim Nusantara Cilacap and IAIN Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, both school have low economic strength, both students and lecturers. This study aims to see the benefits and problems that arise in applying asynchronous learning in Maritime English II of Akademi Maritim Nusantara Cilacap and English I of IAIN Syekh Nurjati Cirebon course. The researcher uses Google Classroom, YouTube, WhatsApp and Telegram media in lecture activities. The researcher then conducted a mini-survey to find out the advantages and obstacles experienced by students. The data is then explained using a qualitative descriptive method. The results showed at least 5 (five) advantages and 1 (one) weakness in asynchronous learning. The five benefits are material enrichment, access to learning materials, social interaction, personal interaction, and ease in discussing student work. Meanwhile, the constraints found were related to cost-effectiveness.

Online Learning in the Time of Crisis: A Study of EFL Students’ Attitudes

This article discussed the importance of utilizing online learning during times of crises with special emphasis on the situation in Libya. In spite of the dangerous current situation i.e., the wide spread of a deadly Corona Virus, educational institutions (schools, universities, and academies) in Libya are still based on traditional procedures of learning, i.e., they adopt the traditional way of face-to-face classes and meetings. Although there have been some attempts of using blended learning, still most of the institutions are stuck with old methods. The current situation in the country since the beginning of the unrest in 2011 and recently with the emergence of a sudden outbreak of a deadly disease called Covid-19 caused by a Corona Virus shook the entire country and called for an urgent intervention. However, because of the fragile situation and the decrepit infrastructure in Libya, challenges to the education system are huge. This article highlighted the perceptions of a group of postgraduate students of English on online learning and also included the Advantages, Disadvantages, Opportunities, and Barriers (ADOB) analysis of e-learning modes in the time of crisis. The findings revealed that access to online learning in Libya was hindered by many challenges, and consequently students perceived online learning as inefficient. The paper also provided some suggestions for academic institutions of how to deal with challenges associated with online learning.

The Influence of English Ability and Educational Methods on the Military Vehicles Operationalization for Cadets in the Army and Military Academy at Cavalry Educational Center, Padalarang, Indonesia

English skills are needed in the military field which always faces dynamic conditions. This research was intended to determine the relationship between English ability and educational methods used by military cadets at the Pusat Pendidikan Kavaleri on their ability to operate military vehicles. The method used is a quantitative method with population were all Army Secapa cadets and the Indonesian Army Military Academy who were currently studying at the Cavalry Education Center (Pusdik Kav) in Padalarang, West Java Province, Indonesia. Data collection technique used was observational technique, which was to examine directly by using a questionnaire and interview. The result of this research is that there is a significant relationship between the English Ability and the Educational method on military vehicles operationalization. In other words, if the English Ability and the Educational method is increased, the military vehicles operationalization for the Indonesian Army will be greater. In addition, the findings of this research are useful for military cadets and institution itself.

Intercultural Communication in the Perspective of Gender

Intercultural communication is usually viewed as the communication which takes place between two or more people from different cultural backgrounds. These different cultural backgrounds are commonly understood as different languages and nationalities. However, intercultural communication is not limited to these backgrounds. It can also be viewed as communication across gender. This article aims to provide a conceptual study which reviews some ideas regarding intercultural communication in the view of gender. It discusses the ideas proposed by some scholars in communications concerning how men and women communicate differently because they are considered members of different cultures, that is, the culture of men and the culture of women. The discussion focuses on the differences between men and women in terms of communication styles, communication attitudes, and linguistic strategies. Some potential misunderstandings which occur between men and women are also presented as a result of those differences.

Learning Beyond the Classroom: Teachers’ Perspectives of the Extracurricular Activities in Learning English as a Foreign Language

The current study investigated teachers’ perspectives of the use of extracurricular activities in EFL context. Data for the study were collected from 187 questionnaire respondents from Arabic speaking countries. The findings reveal that most of EFL teachers in study context use ECAs in their teaching of English. They also show that teachers not only use these activities to improve language proficiency but also to promote other language related skills. The findings also reveal some challenges in implementing ECAs such as time convenience, school workload, lack of funding, some social and cultural barriers, and students’ perception of these activities. Based on the findings, the researcher suggests further investigation into some other factors such as teachers’ readiness to implement these activities and the different types of activities that work best for the study context.

Exploring the Attitudes of Students to Distance Learning during Covid-19 in Morocco: The Case of Students of English Studies at Faculty of Letters in Beni-Mellal

The second semester of the academic year 2019-2020 witnessed an unprecedented practice in education worldwide due to Covid-19 pandemic. This was resorting to distance learning (DL). Morocco is no exception. Having continued our teaching practice through this new orientation during this semester, we thought that this experience is worth reflecting about. So, we decided to conduct this study which aims at exploring the attitudes of the students, to distance learning. To give orientation to this study, three research questions were put forward. The first question is about students’ attitudes towards distance learning. The second question is related to the first one and it is about the challenges facing the implementation of DL. Related to these two questions, one more question was considered and it is about the extent to which distance learning is efficient as a new practice to manage the crisis in education that started with the outbreak of Covid-19 and the accompanying pandemic. The findings we obtained from a questionnaire addressed to 160 students at the Faculty of Letters in Beni-Mellal revealed that the attitudes of students towards distance learning are generally speaking positive. Still it must be admitted that these findings also showed that there are some challenges facing a sound implementation of this new orientation in teaching, which necessitates some requirements both in terms of digital resources and digital pedagogy to reach efficiency in the future.

Analysis of the Collaborative Learning Application in Reading Material at Ninth Grade of SMPN 7 Kinali Pasaman Barat

This research was designed to find out and analyze of the collaborative learning application in reading material at ninth grade of SMPN 7 Kinali Pasaman Barat. This research conducted due to several problems found in the field which were students make a fuss when working in groups, students do not listen to given the assignment by the teacher. It can be seen that there were students who work on group assignments that care and others were just busy talking with others. This research was done in order to answer the research question “What were the role of student and what were the role of teacher in collaborative learning at the ninth grade of SMPN 7 Kinali Pasaman Barat?” This research was a qualitative research using collaborative learning strategy. The purpose of this research was to find out and analyze the collaborative learning applicationin reading material at the ninth grade of SMPN 7 KinaliPasaman Barat by analyzing the teacher’s and students’ role in the collaborative learning. The researcher used interview and observation as the instrument of the research. The interview was directed to both students and teacher, which for the students contained 12 questions and for the teacher contained 7 questions. The researcher took 2 classes namely IX1 and IX2 as the observation object. Based on the finding from interview and observation of the collaborative learning in SMPN 7 Kinali Pasaman Barat, it was found that the teacher already fulfilled her role in the collaborative learning effectively, in the other hand the students still lack of the role as the cheer leader. They still laughed at their friends mistake. Besides that, the other roles that the students supposed to have were already done effectively. As the conclusion, the collaborative learning in SMPN 7 Kinali Pasaman Barat was good since the students and the teacher were doing their role effectively

The Effectiveness of Arranging Word Game In Teaching Grammar: An Evidence From VIII Grade Students of SMPN 2 Simpang Alahan Mati, Indonesia

The aim of this research was to know how the students’ ability in arranging word into a sentence of simple present tense and effectiveness of Arranging Word Game in teaching simple present tense at VIII Grade Students of SMPN 2 Simpang Alahan Mati. The researcher found some problems that related to arranging word game which was used by English teacher. The first problem was English teacher has been applied and used Arranging Word Game in teaching simple present tense, but some students still had difficulties in arranging word into a sentence. The second problem was some students often forgot with the structure of the sentence which was taught before such as the structure of simple present tense and the students’ mark was somewhat varied which 65% of the students were considered to have poor achievement. The third problem was some students still could not make sentence such as arranging word into a good sentence and could not understand the material well. This research used a descriptive quantitative research. The population of this research was all students at VIII Grade of SMP N 2 Simpang Alahan Mati where it consisted of two classes which were VIII.1 and VIII.2. In this research, the researcher used total sampling as a sampling technique and the total of sample was 65 students of VIII Grade students. The instruments that were used in this research were test and questionnaire. Based the result of this research, it was concluded that students’ ability in mastering simple present tense at VIII Grade Students of SMPN 2 Simpang Alahan Mati was very good category where the mean of students’ test result was 88,06 on the rating scale 80-100 which was on the very good category. Furthermore, Arranging Word game was effective to be used in teaching simple present tense at VIII Grade Student of SMPN 2 Simpang Alahan Mati where it was gotten from the mean data percentage of students’ questionnaire result which was 77,06% on the percentage of rating scale on 72-89% which it was effective on rating quality.

Perception and Practices of Teaching Grammar in Higher Secondary Schools in Bhutan.

This paper reports a survey of Bhutanese teachers’ Perception and Practices of Teaching Grammar in Higher Secondary Schools in Bhutan. The teaching of grammar in Bhutanese school is predominately guided by curriculum, whereby context-based teaching is mostly encouraged. The descriptive analysis based on quantitative findings of the study indicated that Bhutanese teachers generally believed that the formal study of grammar is essential to the eventual mastery of a foreign or second language. The study also showed that grammar is generally believed to be best taught explicitly, inductively or deductively, but not implicitly. Moreover, the teachers' remark on the importance of systematic practice of grammatical features and detailed error correction suggests that there is a preference for more extensive treatment of grammatical issues. The findings of the present study also indicate that, like the teachers reported in the 2002 and 2008 studies, teachers in Bhutan appreciate the centrality of grammar in their language teaching. This descriptive analysis based on quantitative findings would be beneficial to the curriculum developers, teachers, and lecturers in developing students’ grammar skills and providing professional development to teachers for effective delivery of grammar lessons

Students’ Satisfaction on Learning TEFL Subject at Fifth Semester English Education Study Program in IAIN Bukittinggi

This study aims to determine student satisfaction in the TEFL learning process. This type of research is a quantitative descriptive study. The total population was 121 students and the research sample was 31 students in the fifth semester of English education at IAIN Bukittinggi and simple random sampling was used as a research sampling technique. Data were collected using a questionnaire. Based on the results of the study, the student satisfaction in implementing TEFL learning on good teaching items showed that students were satisfied (good) with the learning. Based on the results of this study it can be concluded that the fifth semester English students at IAIN Bukittinggi are already satisfied with the TEFL learning.