Analysis of Mobile Apps for Learning Grammar through Mobile Assisted Language Learning Approach

The objective of the current study is to evaluate the recently developed mobile apps for learning and improving English grammar. This study selected 10 grammar apps ranked 3 and above by online users with a large number of installations. The study adapted a framework proposed by Supyan Hussin (2013) with four criteria: System, Program, Curriculum, and Language & Culture. Furthermore, information provided in Google Play Store App assessment in terms of App users’ Reviews, Ratings, and Downloads also was used to assess the selected grammar apps. First, the findings show that the grammar apps tend to teach grammar out of context, second, apps minimally adapt to the user’s skill sets. Third, the grammar apps rarely offer explanatory corrective feedback to the users. Fourth, some grammar apps have accuracy issue in terms content and typo. Despite pedagogical paradigm shift to communicative approaches to language learning, the assessed grammar apps are more behaviorists in nature where features of cognitivism and constructivism, and particularly connectivism approaches are rare. To better align with MALL, contextualized language, explanatory feedback, and adaptive technology need to be incorporated into these apps.

Pronouncing Inert Letters: What can we learn from undergraduate EFL students?

English Education students are prepared to be English teachers as one of the sources in learning activity. However, the students still mispronounced some words including ones which contain inert letters. This study aimed to find out the most frequent errors made by the English Education Students in pronouncing inert letters and the factors of the inert letters’ pronunciation errors. This study was a descriptive study which applied quantitative and qualitative approaches. The subjects of this study were 25 students of the English Education Study Program at Universitas Bengkulu. This study used recording, observation checklist, and interview as the instruments. Recording and observation checklists were used to gather subjects’ pronunciation. In order to find the factors of the pronunciation errors, an interview was conducted. The pronunciation was analysed by using pronunciation checkers, Voice Notebook and Audacity. The interview results were analysed based on factors of pronunciation accuracy. The results showed that the most frequent errors of inert letters pronunciation made by the subjects were sounded inert letter /d/ of /-nd/ by 94% and silent inert letter /a/ of /-cal-/ by 88%. The interview generated some data which shows that the factors of subjects’ pronunciation errors were native language, age, and amount of exposure to English.

An Error Analysis of the Use of Prepositions in Students' Descriptive Writing

This research aims to identify the types of students’ errors in using prepositional place in the descriptive text made by eighth grade (8) students to identify the cause of errors made by students in using prepositional place. That most of the students did not pay attention to use prepositional correctly in a sentence. This research is qualitative research. The research object shows four types of the error made by students, omission, addition, misordering, and misformation. Based on the data, the frequency of students' error in using prepositional place mainly occurred in prepositional in place in 35 errors. The second is prepositional on with 14 errors. The third is the prepositional place at with 12 errors.

Mind Your Gap between Entry English Proficiency and Graduation Expectation

In recent years, the trend of teaching and learning English as a foreign language in Thai universities have changed drastically. This can be seen by the changes in the English as a foreign language curriculum and the manner it is being taught in schools as well as in the universities. The main objective of these changes is to prepare students to participate more aggressively in the ASEAN community, where English is the universal language. Thai universities launched a new policy about English graduation requirements aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). One area of interest is whether there is a gap between the entry English proficiency and English graduation expectation. Thus, this study sought to gauge the gap between English oral proficiency among the Thai 1st year undergraduates and the expected exit proficiency level (B2 CEFR). Results suggest that almost all 1st-year university students in Thailand have a tremendous gap between the real entry English oral proficiency level and the high expectations exit proficiency level. This information about the gap would allow the universities to prepare their students accordingly.

Figurative Language in Students’ English Book

This research was carried out to investigate the types of figurative language found in reading texts at grade X students’ book, the dominant type of figurative language and to find out the students’ difficulties in understanding the figurative language. The design of the research was qualitative in which content analysis research was conducted. The source of the data was high school students’ English textbook in Padangsidimpuan. The instrument to collect the data was content analysis checklist, test and interview. Some of the students were interviewed by the researcher to know their responses on the use of figurative language. The data was analyzed based on three theories proposed by Keraf. The findings of this research are: there are 6 types of figurative language in English reading text at grade X students’ book. They are personification, hyperbole, metonymy, euphemism, antithesis, and repetition, the dominant types found in this text are personification; and the students’ difficulties in understanding the language are lacking of the linguistic knowledge that is semantic meaning and lacking of socio-cultural understanding in the phrases and sentences.