English Language Teaching Department Research Articles

A Holistic Needs Analysis for Developing Critical Reading Material to Enhance EFL Reading Proficiency

This study delves into the development of critical reading material for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading classes through a comprehensive need analysis. Employing the Four D model encompassing defining, designing, developing, and disseminating, the research process unfolded in distinct phases. The initial phase involved a preliminary investigation at the English Language Education Department of Muhammadiyah Purworejo University to discern students' challenges within real-time learning contexts. Subsequently, a prototype of the needs analysis was formulated based on the findings from the preliminary study. Validation of this needs analysis occurred through consultation with two experts and field testing to ascertain the questionnaire's efficacy. The validation process revealed a high feasibility rate (85%) in assessing students' needs. Additionally, a preliminary field test involving 30 students from the English Language Education Department at Muhammadiyah Purworejo University was conducted to evaluate the questionnaire's practicality. The outcomes of the needs analysis served as a foundational framework for the development of critical reading materials, subsequently utilized in EFL reading classes.

Cognitive Test Anxiety and Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students in Istanbul

Test anxiety has become a grueling burden, especially for students in the competitive world. As a result, contextualization of anxiety in education has been retaining the attention and demands of educators and psychologists so far. A student’s GPA in academic life is one of the crucial and numerical indicators of academic achievement. This present study endeavors to investigate the potential distinctions between the level of cognitive test anxiety of students in English Language Teaching (ELT) and English Language Literature (ELL) departments and their cumulative GPA (out of 4,00). Also, the second goal of this investigation is to delve into the possible significant differences marked between gender and students’ cognitive test anxiety levels. This investigation presents some sources to explicate test anxiety and students’ GPAs before presenting the main data results from a variety of studies. Finally, the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale was employed by the researchers, so 60 English Language Teaching students and 46 English Language and Literature students showed their participation (N= 106) on Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale items. Following this part, this research is finalized with the conclusion, which includes an analysis of data results and an examination of relevant research findings. In the conclusion part, it can be seen that Cognitive Test Anxiety scores and students’ departments showed salient differences; however, Cognitive Test Anxiety and participants’ genders have similar points to each other. Moreover, there was no correlation detected between their GPAs and their levels of Cognitive Test Anxiety. However, both students’ GPAs scores and their departments and their GPAs’ and genders show some differences.

LMS-supported HyFlex clinical supervision model: Illuminating perspectives from teacher candidates in the department of English language teaching

This study presents a HyFlex Clinical Supervision Model supported by a Learning Management System (LMS). The model is designed to facilitate a seamless transition from face-to-face to remote education, particularly in unforeseen circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary aim is to understand the mode preferences of teacher candidates for various aspects of the teaching process, including receiving feedback on lesson plans, structuring teaching sessions, observation, being observed, and receiving feedback after teaching sessions during mentoring activities. The study included 58 fourth-year teacher candidates who were enrolled in English Language Teaching departments across six state universities in five regions in Turkey. Data was collected through an online questionnaire using Google Forms and interviews conducted via Zoom. The study uncovered diverse preferences among teacher candidates with regards to teaching sessions, observation methods, and feedback. The HyFlex clinical supervision model proposed is adaptable to both traditional and remote practicum settings.

EFL Student-Teachers’ Perception Toward Teaching English Vocabulary Through Poetry

Poetry has been reported to promote language awareness and authentic learning sources. As poems are composed in carefully arranged words to form rhyming sounds with beautiful rhythm, the present study aimed to reveal EFL students' perceptions of using poetry to teach English vocabulary. Conducted qualitatively, the present observed eighty-seven short essays on using English poems for improving students' vocabulary written by student-teachers from an English Language Education Department in Bali. It was revealed that the student-teachers perceived poetry to help improve students' acquisition of word form, use, and meaning. Forty-four students wrote poems that could improve students' understanding of English word forms: twenty-three students argued that poetry could improve students' pronunciation. Twenty-one participants believed poems could improve students' spelling. In terms of word meaning, a total of thirty vouched for the use of poetry for introducing figurative languages (twenty-three students), enhancing students' acquisition of colloquial vocabulary (eleven students), and familiarizing students with unfamiliar words (eleven participants). A total of nine students insisted that poems could be used to improve students' word use, whereas six students believed poems could display grammatical functions. At the same time, three participants recognize the use of poems for acquainting students with collocations. These results imply that future EFL teachers recognize the potential of bringing English poetry as a medium for improving their EFL students'' vocabulary, hinting at the need for further research on the systematic procedure of how to implement poetry into EFL classrooms.

Analyzing The Speaking Anxiety of The Sixth Semester Students of English Language Education Department

In our globalized era, English has become the predominant language for communication. While mastering English speaking is essential, many students grapple with speaking anxiety. This research paper delves into the challenges students face in acquiring speaking skills and the strategies employed for overcoming them. Using a qualitative approach with a descriptive study method, the aim is to comprehend and articulate these issues. Data collection involved student questionnaires. Results reveal varying levels of speaking anxiety at Universitas Tanjungpura, with prevalent strategies for mitigation including increased practice, self-control, and preparation. These findings hold implications for educators and institutions, suggesting a need to tailor support and interventions to enhance students' English-speaking proficiency. Recognizing and addressing these challenges can contribute to more effective language education strategies in a globalized academic environment.Keywords: English language education students, speaking anxiety

Breadth or depth: The perceptions of Turkish ELT academics in terms of academic specialization: A qualitative analysis of challenges and affordances

The constant accumulation of knowledge forces academics to branch out into further sub-domains within a specific scientific area, requiring more specialization. The same is true for English Language Teaching (ELT) departments, especially in Türkiye, since some twenty years ago ELT academics were expected to know all about the process of language teaching ranging from testing to methodology. Türkiye has experienced an explosion of universities with the ‘one university in each province’ initiative. This brought about a huge number of universities and newly-opened ELT departments. Another factor that triggered the present study is the increasing competence of ELT professionals in Türkiye which is reflected in the increasing number of publications in internationally acclaimed platforms including journals or edited books. This expansion calls for an examination of how ELT professionals view specialization. Therefore, in the present study, I report on the eleven semi-structured interviews conducted with ELT professionals with varying degrees of experience in Türkiye on the topic of specialization. The ELT professionals in the study listed publication / academic output, thesis supervision, and practical application as merits of specialization. The ELT professionals stated that collaboration should be increased, and a meticulous needs analysis and planning process should be conducted to ensure specialization. Finally, the ELT professionals stated that we need experts in testing and evaluation as well as language teaching methodology.

Exploring student perspectives in amplifying students' speaking skills on English for hospitality internship

This research focuses on the experiences of hospitality internships in amplifying speaking skills. In particular, the objective of this research is to examine the students’ perspectives in the hospitality program on enhancing speaking skills as well as the challenges they face and their solutions to these challenges. Qualitative research methods, including questionnaires and observations, were used to gather data from students in the English Language Education Department at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang, Indonesia. There were 28 students enrolled in COE English for Hospitality Program, who participated in the study. The results showed that students' opinions about their experiences with speaking education during their hospitality internships varied. Additionally, challenges in hospitality internships encompass three main areas: delivery, language, and interaction. Some strategies were also provided to assist in overcoming the difficulties identified. It is accordingly advocated that teachers and students need to prepare better in terms of delivery, language, and interaction. hospitality internships can be implemented in the class and Internship programs.

Rhetorical Styles of the Theoretical Framework in Thesis Reports of English Language Education Students: Problems and Suggested Actions

This paper began with concerns about the lacks of sharp rhetorical styles in writing, the methods of citing references, and the formulations of theories and arguments within the conceptual framework in thesis reports written by students of the English Language Education Department. The study was carried out to explain the rhetorical styles of students’ theoretical framework in their thesis report, to reveal weaknesses or the lack of strong arguments in conveying ideas in a straightforward and structured manner, and to suggest actions to prevent the problem form reoccurring in the future. The data were collected from the final project manuscripts written by students of the English Education Study Program, totaling 110 works. The analysis followed the stages of data collection, data display, data reduction and drawing conclusions. The general results of the research showed that the students did not include too many elements of critical thinking in their thesis literature review. In general, they used attribution quite excessively (78%), followed by elements of establishing links between sources (15%), and comparing their own findings or interpretations with other sources 4%. Meanwhile, the elements of application, evaluation, and statement of use had the smallest portion, each 1%. Problems found in the sample were listed based on the comparison between the data and the standard commonly used to regulate the procedure of writing a scientific paper. Recommendations were then formulated which can be used as guidelines for final project writers or any other parties related to writing scientific papers in general; they are training students of the importance of using all rhetorical styles in their citation when preparing a strong conceptual framework.

An Analysis of Turkish EFL Students’ Writing Errors

Various errors come out during writing as it is a highly complicated skill and requires higher-order thinking skills to activate the cognitive processes. Determining these errors is crucial for eliminating them. Mostly preferred way for determining them is performing an Error Analysis (EA). Hence, employing a screening model, the study aimed to reveal types, categories, and sources of errors in Turkish EFL students’ writings as well as to explore potential differences in error frequencies based on their departments and genders by performing an EA. The data obtained from the research were analyzed through document analysis. The sample of the study included 42 students studying at ELT and ELL departments of a state university in Türkiye. All of them were in English preparatory classes and at B2 level. They were asked to write an essay in 150-250 words about one of the given topics. The error analysis revealed a total of 962 errors in Turkish EFL students’ writings. The errors were gathered under three types: grammatical, semantical, and mechanical errors. Among these, grammatical errors were the most prevalent, encompassing a wide range of categories including verb/tense errors, article errors, preposition errors, and others. Semantical errors, involving word choice, coherence, and ambiguity, followed next in frequency. Mechanical errors namely spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and contractions, were also prominent. The current study sought to explore whether there were statistically significant differences in error frequencies between students majoring in English Language Teaching (ELT) and English Language and Literature (ELL), as well as between female and male students. The analysis demonstrated that there were statistically no significant differences between the error frequencies of ELT and ELL students. On the other hand, a statistically significant difference was observed between error frequencies of female and male students. Female students produced less errors compared to the male ones.

SÖZCÜK DAĞARCIĞI BÜYÜKLÜĞÜ, SÖZCÜK ÇEŞİTLİLİĞİ, SÖZCÜK YOĞUNLUĞU VE İNGİLİZCE YAZMA PUANLARI: KESİTSEL BİR ÇALIŞMA

Vocabulary plays a crucial role in language learning, especially in the context of second language (L2) acquisition. Understanding a word involves grasping its form, meaning, and usage, making vocabulary knowledge pivotal for both receptive and productive L2 skills. This study aims to assess vocabulary size, lexical density, and lexical diversity in argumentative essays written by Turkish English Language Teaching (ELT) students and explore their correlation with writing scores. The data, comprising 309 essays from 165 first-year and 144 fourth-year students at Anadolu University's ELT Department, were analyzed using the LFP to estimate students' productive vocabulary size, vocd-D for lexical diversity, and a lexical density formula. The results revealed that only lexical diversity had a significant correlation with first-year students' essay scores, explaining 7.8% of their performance. However, in the case of fourth-year essays, no significant effects of the variables were observed. Additionally, while the variables accounted for 8.7% of vocabulary scores in first-year essays, they did not significantly explain fourth-year essays' vocabulary scores. Therefore, this study suggests that while lexical features are important, they are not the sole determinants of writing scores.

The Students’ Perception towards the Use of Icebreakers, Warmers, and Energizers in EFL Classrooms: A Tertiary Study

This study examines first-year students’ perceptions in the English Language Teaching Department at Tishk International University regarding using icebreakers, warmers, and energizers in the classroom. The research aims to assess the effectiveness of these activities in enhancing student engagement and participation, as well as their impact on the overall learning experience. The study contributes valuable insights into the practical applicability of these techniques in an educational setting. Additionally, the positive perceptions of the students underscore the potential of these activities in establishing a favorable and comfortable learning environment. Data were collected through surveys and interviews, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative aspect, 32 participants (10 males & 22 females) were surveyed, while the qualitative segment involved interviews with 10 students (five males & five females) at Tishk International University. The study’s results indicate that the overwhelming majority of students hold a positive perception of the use of these activities. They view them as beneficial for creating a relaxed and comfortable learning atmosphere, fostering interaction and collaboration among classmates, and boosting motivation and interest in the language. The study suggests that incorporating these activities into EFL classrooms can significantly enhance the overall student learning experience and contribute to a more dynamic and interactive classroom environment. The findings are consistent with existing literature in the field.

Students’ Perception of LINE Webtoon Application and Its Impact on Their English Reading Habits and Skills

Reading is one of the basic English language skills that has not been mastered by all students. On the other hand, reading media determines the frequency of reading habits and the improvement of reading skills. LINE Webtoon application, one of the digital literacy platforms, allows for comfortable and enjoyable reading on computers, tablets, and mobile devices. However, unfortunately, the LINE Webtoon application as a reading medium has not been widely used in the process of teaching and learning English reading. This study investigated students’ perceptions of using LINE Webtoon and how it influenced their English reading habits and skills. Six students from the English Language Education Department at a private university in Yogyakarta were involved. The qualitative design was applied with interviews for the data collection process. The interview results described students’ reading experience using LINE Webtoon. The findings revealed students’ interest in reading content in the app due to the attractive illustrations, the use of easy-to-understand and simple language, and the correlation of story with everyday life. The interview results also presented changes in students’ reading habits as things go about reading stories on LINE Webtoon: increasing their reading routines, reading duration, vocabulary collection, and grammar knowledge. Reading English stories through the LINE Webtoon app has positive effects on enhancing students’ reading habits and reading skills. This research implies that the development of English reading curriculum should involve various innovative and effective digital literacy platforms for the enhancement of English reading habit and skills.

Preservice English teachers’ burnout levels and motivations to choose the teaching career

This study aims to investigate preservice English teachers’ motivations for choosing the teaching career, and their student burnout levels. The correlation between these variables, and the participants’ perspectives about student burnout reasons in English Language Teaching departments were examined. The sample consisted of 466 preservice English teachers at two different state universities in Türkiye. This study adopted a concurrent mixed method study design, and the data were gathered via a questionnaire, an inventory, and a structured interview. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive and correlation analyses, while qualitative data were subjected to qualitative content analysis. The findings suggested that the participants’ most frequent motivations for choosing the teaching career were intrinsic motivations, yet their burnout levels were high. The participants’ career motivations correlated negatively with their burnout levels. Participants mostly reported assignments, difficulty of courses, and oral presentations as their burnout reasons. At the end of this paper, the individuals desiring to study ELT were recommended to have strong motivations to study ELT and be aware of its heavy workload.

Lecturers’ Perception of Moodle-based LMS in Speaking Class

Background: 
 Many Indonesian universities use Moodle-based LMS as suggested by the Ministry of Education. The study aimed at examining English Speaking course lecturers’ perception of Moodle-based LMS. Two important questions to dig out lecturers’ perceptions included supporting features in Moodle LMS preferred by lecturers in Speaking courses and how they perceive Moodle as the main LMS for Speaking courses.
 Methodology: 
 Qualitative descriptive was utilized. Three Speaking course lecturers of English Language Education Department were selected based on some criteria. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The interview questions covered benefits of Moodle-based LMS in speaking class, support of LMS in learning speaking and learning autonomy, and possible problems during the use of LMS. The data were then transcribed into textual forms and analyzed narratively.
 Findings: 
 Several menus preferred by lecturers were assignment, page, and quiz. There were also less preferred menus on Moodle, including video conference, attendance, and writing-oriented activities (i.e., chat and forum) menus. It is also found that participants held both positive and negative views towards Moodle.
 Conclusion: 
 Major findings of the study suggest that Moodle offered a number of menus that were considered beneficial for the participants in conducting their classes. Generally, they also held positive perceptions towards the LMS and suggest some room for improvement for the LMS.
 Originality: 
 Little attention has been paid to Moodle-based LMS is carried out and the lecturers’ perception on its implementation in the speaking classes. Thus, the current study is deemed necessary.

Students' Psychological State Degree and Their Speaking Ability: To What Extent is the Link?

Effective communication among students is often hindered by various obstacles, including reticence, self-doubt, inadequacy, apathy, fear of making mistakes, and apprehension. These challenges are notably evident in their speaking skills. This study aimed to explore the psychological conditions of students from the English Language Education Department (ELED) and relate these conditions to their speaking abilities. A quantitative approach was adopted, using an explanatory correlation design. Data was gathered from 117 third-year students at a private university using a survey and a written assessment. Results showed students' mental well-being was categorized as poor with a mean score of M=45.03. Contrastingly, their speaking proficiency was rated excellent, with a mean score of M=64.24 on the Pearson scale. Correlation analysis was applied to determine the relationship between the two variables. The results yielded a p-value of 0.001, below the 0.05 threshold, thus accepting the alternative hypothesis (H1). A significant relationship between the students' psychological states and speaking abilities was established.

EFL Students' Language Learning Strategies at Argumentative Writing Class at UNIROW Tuban

The focus of this research is on EFL students’ language learning strategies used in Argumentative Writing class at UNIROW Tuban. It sought to determine the students’ most frequent language learning strategies and the strategies’ distinctions between students, both male and female. The descriptive qualitative was employed as the design of research for this study. The study's participants are 15 EFL students enrolled in Argumentative Writing class from English Language Education department undergraduate program of UNIROW Tuban. The questionnaire and interview data were qualitatively examined using Oxford's (1990) theories of language learning. It was identified that there were six kinds of language learning strategies used by the students, namely memory strategies, cognitive strategies, compensation strategies, metacognitive strategies, affective strategies, and social strategies. The findings showed that in the Argumentative Writing class, both genders of students most frequently employed cognitive strategies (30,1%). Additionally, it was discovered that female students (23,5%) employed more varied language learning strategies than male students (22,5%). The cognitive strategies appear to be the finest support strategies employed in Argumentative Writing class that can overcome students' writing limitations.

PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ DIGITAL COMPETENCIES: A TRANSFORMATIVE MEDIUM TOWARD LANGUAGE TEACHING

Given the subsequent turn of the epidemic in language education field, this study aimed to investigate the perceptions of pre-service teachers in the English Language Education Department of Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia toward their own digital competencies within their teaching performance. Regarding the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), pre-service teachers are expected to have sufficient high-level digital competencies. In this context, digital competencies are seen as a means to transform language education in the post-pandemic era. In this study, digital competencies refer to five dimensional skills, namely ‘information and data literacy’, ‘communication and collaboration’, ‘digital content creation’, ‘security’, and ‘problem solving’. Fifty-five (55) pre-service teachers who were still enrolled in some particular ICT courses and who performed online teaching participated in the study by completing the Teacher Competency Framework Questionnaire and doing an interview session to assess their digital competencies in the use of ICT within online teaching context. The results showed that the pre-service teachers placed a high value on all five dimensions of digital competence to facilitate their online teaching through the use of ICT, covering both technological and pedagogical functions, making their online teaching delivered more beneficially and effectively. The more acknowledgements toward the role of their digital competencies and required skills of ICT use for pre-service teachers have been increasing due to the switching from offline to online classroom settings as a consequence of COVID-19 pandemic. However, further research into integrated curriculum planning based on the schoolwide ICT curriculum is recommended to promote constructive strategies to support the development of the pre-service teachers’ digital competencies. The much wider digital competencies scope and more specific pre-service teachers ICT educational programs investigation should be adapted in the future research to provide deeper and further analysis toward the pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy about their own digital competencies in online learning context at the same time.

İngilizceyi Yabancı Dil Olarak Öğreten Eğitmenlerin Türk Yükseköğretiminde Kültürlerarası Farkındalıklarını Araştırmak

Korzilius, van Hoft, and Planken (2007) suggest that intercultural awareness involves being empathetic and being able to shift away from one's perspective. In a communication setting, intercultural awareness refers to the capacity to adopt the viewpoint(s) of conversation partners from a different culture and to comprehend and acknowledge their unique cultural backgrounds. In this context, the aim of this study is to explore the intercultural awareness of EFL instructors in the context of Turkish Higher Education. Participants are 50 EFL instructors from the English Language Teaching Department and the School of Foreign Languages in Türkiye. The current study adopted a quantitative design; the data tool is the English Language Instructors’ Questionnaire for Intercultural Awareness’ The data is analyzed via the Mann-Whitney U test. The data from the questionnaire is analyzed in two contexts: Intercultural Awareness of Native and Non-Native and Novice and Expert Instructors. As the findings of the study suggest there are significant differences between the attitudes of Native / Non-Native as well as for the Novice and Expert Instructors for Intercultural Awareness.

CORPUS USED AS A DATA-DRIVEN LEARNING TOOL IN L2 ACADEMIC WRITING: EVIDENCE FROM TURKISH CONTEXTS

This study investigated the effectiveness of using corpus as a data-driven learning (DDL) tool to enhance the academic writing skills of Turkish EFL learners. The study also explored learners’ views of the potential use of corpus in L2 academic writing. To achieve these objectives, a mixed-method sequential explanatory design was employed, involving freshman student teachers enrolled in the Department of English Language Teaching at a state university in Turkey. The participants completed four argumentative essay writing tasks. Two tasks employed conventional techniques for error correction, while the other two utilized corpus as a reference tool for error correction. The latter two tasks were complemented by corpus training for the participants. The results indicated that using corpus as a DDL tool had a significant impact on the academic writing skills of Turkish EFL learners, with notable improvements observed in both grammar and vocabulary use. Participants also expressed positive feedback on the use of corpus as a DDL tool in enhancing their L2 academic writing.

Grade variations across EFL, CLIL, and EMI platforms: A longitudinal case study in an English language teaching department

Fluctuations and distortions in grade point averages (GPAs) can affect its usefulness as a measure of achievement. Against a backdrop of increasing internationalisation in higher education, such instabilities may be exacerbated by heterogeneous student populations and the varying role of language on English as a foreign language (EFL), content and language integrated learning (CLIL), and English as a medium of instruction (EMI) platforms. Accordingly, using descriptive and inferential statistics, we explored the distribution patterns of 58,324 grades awarded over a 10-year period at a major university in Bangkok, Thailand. We found evidence of longitudinal grade increase, grade compression, and grade disparity—all of which suggest the presence of grade inflation. Specifically, across the three teaching platforms, mean GPAs increased significantly as lettered grades compressed upwards, clustering around C and C+ levels. Grade disparity, meanwhile, decreased between courses and levels but increased between student populations (i.e., English majors were awarded significantly higher grades than non-English majors were). Based on our findings, we argue for more standardised assessment practices to tackle grade censorship and saturation, as well as potential elevations/reductions in graduating GPAs of admixed student populations. We also propose a new method to quantify and track mean GPAs through quartile measurements.