Proposed 21st Century Learning Themes in English Classrooms

Abstract

In many universities in Indonesia, English is still a mandatory subject. The universities provide the courses under the names Bahasa Inggris (English), English for Academic purposes, English I to II, English for Proficiency, English for Health Science, etc. Different universities give 2 credits, 3 credits, or more than 4 credits. The teaching materials used are from various sources, such as from the internet, English books published by famous publishers, or modules written by the lecturers. However, the materials provided are often not suitable for the current situation. Therefore, this research was conducted to investigate and seek better alternatives for English learning. What are the students’ target needs with respect to English class materials development? What are the students’ learning needs with respect to the development of English class material for Social and Political Science’s Students? And what suitable materials are available that are in line with 21st-century learning? This study surveyed 437 new students in the first semester from the Social and Political Science Faculty and eight English lecturers National University of Indonesia. Google form questionnaires were used to collect and analyze data. The three main indicators to be analyzed were: students’ present situation, students’ target situation, and students’ learning situation. The results show that 60.9% agree that the topics discussed relate to 21st-century learning, 80.3% of all necessary English skills are learned by the students, and they prefer learning from YouTube/social media and academic journals. Nearly half (46.9 %) were comfortable with learning through blended learning, and 95.6% agreed with the use of Google meet, Google classroom, and Zoom meetings. Furthermore, the materials considered appropriate to 21st-century learning include global awareness, finance, economics, business and entrepreneurial literacy, civic literacy, health literacy, and environmental literacy.