Instead of predominantly functioning to protect women, many toxic marriages even legitimize and institutionalize patriarchal oppression. This has sparked feminist criticism, as in Katie Fforde's novel Going Dutch. Featuring a female character who rejects marriage and lives independently, this study aims to analyze two main aspects: (1) the representation of the rejection of marriage as a form of resistance to patriarchy in the novel and (2) the author's ideological position. Using a feminist approach with Stuart Hall's representation as its conceptual framework, the analysis reveals that the main character, Joana, refuses to remarry because of her traumatic experience in her previous marriage. Her husband forbids her from working or socializing outside the home. After her divorce, Joana chooses to live independently in the Netherlands, pursuing her career and hobbies while achieving economic independence and personal liberty. Through the character of Joana, Katie Fforde criticizes patriarchal norms still embedded in the institution of marriage. Going Dutch functions as a work of fiction that Ffordes advocates for women's empowerment and their right to live independently

This article aims to examine the exploitation of women in Kaine Agary’s novel Yellow-Yellow (2006). The novel has been analyzed from a postcolonial ecofeminist perspective. The postcolonial ecofeminist analysis of this novel reveals the exploitative type of relationship between women and extractivism, which can manifest the destruction of nature through the over-extraction of crude oil by transnational corporations. In this manner, Bibaebi, the major female character, is oppressed by the oil extraction process, dispossessed of her farmland, and faced with displacement and illicit migration. The study also reveals that though women are the brunt of persistent oppression, women’s interconnectedness to nature is a pathway to survival and resilience. Bibaebi and her daughter, Zilayefa, form a core of resistance against the petro-capitalist exploitation of nature. Ultimately, this study situates women within the broader discourse of neocolonial extractivism, underscoring the pressing need to reevaluate the intersection of women and nature in contemporary African literature.

Research on collaborative learning in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), particularly from the students’ perspectives, remains relatively limited due to prevailing focuses on teacher-centered approaches and individual assessment. The present study addresses the gap by exploring how collaborative learning impacts student engagement and outcomes in an English Medical Purposes (EMP) course. A total of 328 Medicine, Nursing, and Nutrition students completed a questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale to evaluate their perspectives on collaborative learning. Results show overall satisfaction, with mean ratings ranging from 4.00 to 4.25 across key aspects such as utility, alignment with expectations, enjoyment, practical application, sense of community, exchange of ideas, and skill development. These findings underscore the value of collaborative learning in fostering active participation and supportive learning environments. In addition, as the identification of potential weaknesses in current implementations of collaborative learning in EMP contexts was not explored, future research should investigate the challenges and develop targeted strategies to optimize collaborative learning experiences in EMP settings.

This paper explores the prevalent use of sarcasm among Indonesian Instagram users, particularly on the @Insertlive account and its link to cyberbullying. This qualitative study, adopting Keraf’s sarcasm function theory, identifies different types of sarcasm and how offensive language affects communication and social norms in social media. The study reveals different sarcasm functions like rejection, prohibition, information, and vulgarities, indicating that sarcasm is widely used in online communication. On the one hand, sarcasm is a means of laughter and togetherness; on the other hand, however, it is a hostile strategy to insult and criticize. This paper highlights the social benefits of constructive sarcasm compared to its potential harms that may lead to cyberbullying. It is suggested that social media should improve the moderation features and promote positive comments. Besides, future research could examine the effect of sarcasm on the psychological state of targets and observe cultural differences in the use of sarcasm across various platforms.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning became mandatory, leading to the use of various apps, tools, and teaching methods to ensure the learning process continued. This systematic review examines the impact of implementing ICT in English Language Learning, specifically for students in school settings during the pandemic. The review included 87 studies based on exclusion/inclusion criteria. The findings from this literature review revealed that ICT practices in English language teaching resulted in positive outcomes, with 91% of the studies reporting improved language skills. Digital tools, multimedia, and visual aids enhanced student motivation, comprehension, and engagement, although some challenges were encountered. Integrating ICT tools like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Google Classroom became essential in education during and post-pandemic. Synchronous and asynchronous learning and communication tools like WhatsApp and Telegram proved effective for English language learning. Visual-based tools and multimedia content, including YouTube and animations, significantly improved language skills and created an engaging learning environment. However, challenges such as digital access inequity, technical competencies, lack of personal connection, pedagogical adaptation, and health-related concerns need to be addressed for effective and inclusive future implementation in English Language Learning.

Mandalika is an Indonesian tourist destination notable for sports tourism, as a result of the construction of the Mandalika circuit as an infrastructure for various international events to be held. Moreover, Mandalika also contains natural and cultural resources that can be explored. Therefore, it is categorized as one of the 5 Super Priority Destinations and is still being developed to attract domestic and international visitors. This research analyses relational processes found in five selected Mandalika tourism texts uploaded on the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy website under the Systemic Functional Linguistics point of view. Based on the data acquired in this study, a qualitative method is used. Based on the analysis, each clause broadly reflects Mandalika’s features, but the participants involved have different ways of describing each feature. In addition, the dominance of identifying relational processes in intensive clauses (33%) highlights the most prominent elements of Mandalika, providing readers with the greatest recommendations to enjoy throughout their vacation to Mandalika.

The pivotal role of feedback in improving students’ writing competence has been undeniable, yet there has not been any agreement about how feedback can improve learning. The advancement of technology has opened opportunities to give feedback facilitated by technology, commonly referred to as Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE). AWE-based applications help produce effective feedback mostly because they are friendly. Several studies have documented that several AWE-based applications can potentially improve students’ writing skills. Nevertheless, effective feedback constitutes more than timely feedback. AWE-based applications cannot attain other factors, such as ongoing and goal-oriented. In other words, an AWE-based application is merely a form of feedback, such as comments and scores. Therefore, improving students’ writing competence cannot rely solely on AWE-based applications. The AWE-based application should be framed in the process of feedback provision that aims to improve learning, known as formative feedback. This paper elaborates on how AWE can be framed in formative feedback. The concept of formative feedback and the writing process will be discussed thoroughly before discussing how AWE tools can be embedded in formative feedback during the writing process.

Poetry is a literary art that can be difficult to translate, considering its interpretations and the gap between languages. Previous related studies have yet to provide a deeper investigation into problems of poems and translation from students’ points of view. Filling in the gap, this study uses a qualitative method to examine the dominantly utilized translation method, the difficulties encountered, and how such difficulties were tackled. Twelve English Literature students were involved in translating a poem and answering interview questions. The data were analyzed using the poetry translation methods by André Lefevere (1975) and complemented by a written interview to further discuss the students’ perspectives. The results revealed that literal translation is the dominant method used. Problems related to diction in the target text were their main difficulty. Analyzed from their interview responses, the strategies utilized include consulting dictionaries, using descriptive equivalents, finding alternative terms online, and so on. This study concludes that the translation difficulties encountered leaned more toward language production skills and that poem translators should have a strong familiarity with both languages and an interest or expertise in poems. Translation studies should provide more exposure to Indonesian poems to increase familiarity with Indonesian literary diction.

Along with the rapid development of technology, many educational platforms nowadays are used to support teaching and learning processes. Among these platforms is Pear Deck. It is an interactive platform that offers benefits to effectively increase students’ motivation and emotional engagement. This study aims to identify students’ motivation and emotional engagement in English lessons by utilizing Pear Deck. This case study revealed that the students feel emotions before the sessions start, all linked to their past experiences (retrospective outcomes). Fear, happiness, and excitement are the emotions the students feel at the beginning of the sessions, and they turn out to be enjoyable and happy at the end of the session. The emotions that the students feel during the sessions can potentially lead to the prospective outcomes of the students, which are success in their future endeavors. Additionally, the choice of suitable materials that will be delivered to the students must be considered by the teachers or educators to encourage and motivate students and uplift students’ emotional engagement with the lesson.