Junior High School English Teachers Research Articles

A study of junior high school English teachers' beliefs and attitudes toward English language instruction in Taipei City

A study of junior high school English teachers' beliefs and attitudes toward English language instruction in Taipei City

Teachers’ Perception of Online Learning during Pandemic Covid-19

Since March 2020, the case of coronavirus disease or known as Covid-19, has become a global pandemic. According to UNESCO, schools are closed in about 100 countries due to a public health emergency, including Indonesia. The condition forces teachers to make the transition of the way they teach from face to face learning to online learning. This study investigated EFL teachers’ Perception of online English language learning. Their perceptions were analyzed in three aspects: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and their attitude toward online English language learning. This study employed a descriptive design with a qualitative approach. A survey questionnaire and interview were used in this study to elicit the responses of 102 Junior High School English teachers in Bandung. This study's findings revealed that the participants showed a positive perception of the usefulness and ease of use of online learning systems during pandemic Covid-19. Still, more than half of the teachers didn’t agree on the effectiveness of it. Even though the teachers face many online teaching problems, they could show the right attitude toward using technology to teach online.

A Closer Look at Junior High School English Teachers in Pekanbaru: Does the Reluctance of Teachers to Adapt with ICT Hindering English Learning?

Though English Education has universally acknowledged technology as a fundamental consideration, there exists a gap between the IT skills of teachers and students due to teachers’ reluctance to adapt Internet/information communications technology (ICT) in their English teaching. This paper looked closely at 131 junior high schools in Pekanbaru, Indonesia to ascertain if the conservative teaching mindset may be preventing English learning of students. Mixed method is used to analyze the data collected from 171 English teachers through online and offline questionnaires from a previous study that uncovered 5 key problems of ICT usage in teaching English, namely teachers’ lack of IT knowledge, lack of ICT facilities, lack of self-confidence, lack of much time, and lack of willingness to change their teaching style.

Career Development Program for Junior High School English Teachers

Despite the existence of some policies to promote career growth, still the fact remains that many teachers face problems about this matter. This study aimed in proposing a career development program by describing the profile of junior high school English teachers and showing its association to the extent of their commitment and responsiveness to instruction, research and community service. Moreover, it also identifies both issues related to career development. In order to attain the objectives, this research endeavour utilized descriptive method of research using questionnaire as data gathering instrument. Findings showed that teachers responded to the call of continuing professional development by earning post graduate degrees but had few related trainings and limited memberships. In addition, they showed commitment and responsiveness only on a moderate extent with regards to research and community service. The data further proved that instruction depends on training and development while research depends on membership to professional organization. It also stressed the findings that an organized and well-planned career development contributes to individual and organizational growth. However, issues and challenges may occur in the workplace if the administration fails to prioritize this. There is also a need for more training and memberships in various organizations and often participation in professional development activities is also recommended.

Career Development Program for Junior High School English Teachers

Despite the existence of some policies to promote career growth, still the fact remains that many teachers face problems about this matter. This study aimed in proposing a career development program by describing the profile of junior high school English teachers and showing its association to the extent of their commitment and responsiveness to instruction, research and community service. Moreover, it also identifies both issues related to career development. In order to attain the objectives, this research endeavour utilized descriptive method of research using questionnaire as data gathering instrument. Findings showed that teachers responded to the call of continuing professional development by earning post graduate degrees but had few related trainings and limited memberships. In addition, they showed commitment and responsiveness only on a moderate extent with regards to research and community service. The data further proved that instruction depends on training and development while research depends on membership to professional organization. It also stressed the findings that an organized and well-planned career development contributes to individual and organizational growth. However, issues and challenges may occur in the workplace if the administration fails to prioritize this. There is also a need for more training and memberships in various organizations and often participation in professional development activities is also recommended.

Career Development Program for Junior High School English Teachers

Despite the existence of some policies to promote career growth, still the fact remains that many teachers face problems about this matter. This study aimed in proposing a career development program by describing the profile of junior high school English teachers and showing its association to the extent of their commitment and responsiveness to instruction, research and community service. Moreover, it also identifies both issues related to career development. In order to attain the objectives, this research endeavour utilized descriptive method of research using questionnaire as data gathering instrument. Findings showed that teachers responded to the call of continuing professional development by earning post graduate degrees but had few related trainings and limited memberships. In addition, they showed commitment and responsiveness only on a moderate extent with regards to research and community service. The data further proved that instruction depends on training and development while research depends on membership to professional organization. It also stressed the findings that an organized and well-planned career development contributes to individual and organizational growth. However, issues and challenges may occur in the workplace if the administration fails to prioritize this. There is also a need for more training and memberships in various organizations and often participation in professional development activities is also recommended.

THE ANONYMOUS TEACHERS’ FACTORS OF ASSESSING PARAGRAPH WRITING

Scoring writing is very subjective and mainly relies on a lot on teachers as raters. They play a significant role to meticulously carry out writing evaluations to adjudicate the linguistic and rhetorical features of their students' written responses. Based on the previous studies, the teachers’ factors of knowledge of basic writing assessment, efficacy in selecting assessment method, efficacy in scoring accuracy, and perception in practicing writing assessment can contribute a lot to the quality in teachers’ writing assessment. The 56 junior high school English teachers having at least five years of teaching experience, was invited to fill out the questionnaire and scoring paragraph writing. The results were examined with Multiple Linear Regression analysis. Amongst these factors, only the efficacy in scoring writing accuracy predicts the teachers’ scoring paragraph writing.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Webquests in Junior High School English Classes in Iran

Webquest is an Internet-based learning and teaching tool, within which is a process involving students and teachers to use it for educational purposes. As an educational tool, the webquest has gained popularity in the education field across subjects and settings and is generally well-received by both teachers and students. Many junior high school English teachers use webquests to support modern teaching methods to improve students’ instructions and learning processes in new opportunities of using webquest resources in English classes, as well. This study aimed at investigating the advantages and disadvantages of using webquests in Iranian junior high school English classes. This study also examined the application of webquests to motivate high school English teachers to teach more efficiently and provided the learners with a wonderful situation to learn English well. The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2019 in four cities of Isfahan Province, Iran. The participants included 16 Iranian English teachers chosen based on the stratified random sampling method from junior high schools. The questionnaires and interviews were used to collect the data and the participants’ insights about the advantages and disadvantages of using webquests in their English classes. Many English teachers considered webquests helpful and believed that it could help students do duties better and that the teachers could teach English more effectively and meaningfully. Webquest resources, likewise, help teachers work in groups and share ideas associated with the school curriculum.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Webquests in Junior High School English Classes in Iran

Webquest is an Internet-based learning and teaching tool, within which is a process involving students and teachers to use it for educational purposes. As an educational tool, the webquest has gained popularity in the education field across subjects and settings and is generally well-received by both teachers and students. Many junior high school English teachers use webquests to support modern teaching methods to improve students' instructions and learning processes in new opportunities of using webquest resources in English classes, as well. This study aimed at investigating the advantages and disadvantages of using webquests in Iranian junior high school English classes. This study also examined the application of webquests to motivate high school English teachers to teach more efficiently and provided the learners with a wonderful situation to learn English well. The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2019 in four cities of Isfahan Province, Iran. The participants included 16 Iranian English teachers chosen based on the stratified random sampling method from junior high schools. The questionnaires and interviews were used to collect the data and the participants' insights about the advantages and disadvantages of using webquests in their English classes. Many English teachers considered webquests helpful and believed that it could help students do duties better and that the teachers could teach English more effectively and meaningfully. Webquest resources, likewise, help teachers work in groups and share ideas associated with the school curriculum.

Challenges Faced by English Teacher in Teaching: Case Study of Junior High School in Banjarnegara Regency

Teaching English is not a very easy job and becomes a challenging task for the Junior High School teacher in Banjarnegara regency that is located in a mountainous area and the majority of the people love to speak their mother tongue in their daily life. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges faced by an English teacher in the teaching as well as what the solution/recommendation they made. This study employed the qualitative methods in which questionnaires and interview guide utilized and hundred and twenty-five (N=125) teachers were purposely and conveniently sampled from Junior High School English teachers in Banjarnegara regency. The results revealed that the challenges faced in teaching English are divided into four parts. The first challenges were from the teachers. These challenges are less of teaching material, teaching design, classroom management, ICT skill, many teaching administration, job loaded, and memory decrease. The second was from the students. Those are lack of vocabulary, loss of motivation, and juvenile delinquencies. The third was from schools. Schools had limited facilities, which can be utilized by teachers and students in teaching activities such as; limited dictionary, projector, and language laboratory. The fourth was from the parents. Many parents from the village have low education and future vision so it influenced their children's education. The study also gives three recommendations for succeeding in teaching English such as; (1) teachers should make teaching contract at the beginning of the semester, (2) principals send teachers joining to MGMP meeting and Continuous Professional Development activity, (3) schools give motivation to students and parents periodically.

EFL Teachers’ Views on English Assessment in 2013 Curriculum

Teaching English as a foreign language in Indonesia faces several challenges not only from the teachers, students, facilities, teaching and learning process, but also how to assess the students. This present study purposed to investigate the English teachers’ views in conducting English assessments accordance in with 2013 curriculum. This study is a qualitative. The subject of this study is junior high school English teacher in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The research data were collected through in-depth interview and observation. The results of the study suggested that before teaching, the teachers have prepared the lesson plans which included the rubric of the assessments in 2013 curriculum. English assessments that were used by the teachers were product, skill or knowledge assessment and attitude assessment. In product assessment, there were project and portfolio assessments, while skill or knowledge assessment consisted of writing, speaking, reading, and listening assessments. Thus, most of the teachers agreed with English assessment in 2013 curriculum because attitude assessment is separated from product, skill, and knowledge assessments. This study also revealed that the teachers encountered some problems in conducting the assessments dealing with student’s low motivation, lack of vocabulary, large amount of the student in the class, and shortage of teaching duration.

Assessing intercultural competence (IC) of state junior high school English teachers in Yogyakarta

Intercultural competence (IC) is a concept which has gained importance in recent years. It seems to be transparent, accepted as well as used both in formal and informal situations. This concept can be defined as an individual’s capability to communicate effectively and appropriately with other people who have different cultures, norms, and values. In order for a person to be labeled as an intercultural speaker with intercultural competence, s/he should have the competence of intercultural attitude, skill, and knowledge. However, this competence has not been noticed and assessed comprehensively inside and outside academia, particularly in the setting of English language teaching. Hence, this study aims to assess and determine the level of intercultural competence of state junior high school English teachers in Yogyakarta. This study involved 260 participants taken using cluster random sampling from the whole population of 790 state junior high school English teachers. Data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire. Afterward, the data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Kruskal Wallis test along with prerequisite of normality. This study revealed that the level of IC of state junior high school English teachers in Yogyakarta was high. Moreover, it has been found that their level of intercultural attitude (IA), intercultural skill (IS), and intercultural knowledge (IK) were categorized as high. In other words, these results indicate that the state junior high school English teachers in Yogyakarta have a capability to mingle with diverse people using a language effectively and appropriately. Importantly, this study showed that there were no significant differences in their IC level according to where they teach in four districts and one city. These mean that the locations where they teach do not affect their level of intercultural competence.

Challenged for Higher-Order Thinking Skill Implementation: Reports From EFL Classroom Teachers

Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) become the current educational issues in Indonesia. The teachers have to be aware of its importance and have sufficient knowledge about it. This study aims to investigate junior high school teachers’ perceptions and challenges in employing HOTS in the EFL classroom. This case study involved two junior high school English teachers from different schools. Data were collected through interviews and classroom observation for triangulation purposes. The findings showed that teachers have been conscious of the importance of HOTS, but they have different perceptions and different ways of implementing HOTS in their EFL classroom. However, there are also challenges that the teachers have to face when they employ HOTS in their classrooms.

ENGLISH TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN INDONESIA: THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

This study investigates the challenges and opportunities of junior high school English teacher professional development in Indonesia. The objectives of the study are to examine the English teachers� challenges and needs to develop their TPD. This qualitative study employed questionnaire and in-depth interview as the main instruments for data collection. The findings revealed that the challenges of TPD related to, firstly, program timing as the program was carried out during working hours; and, secondly, lack of information about workshop schedule from the government (Education Office) because, geographically, some schools are located in remote areas. The study also explored the teachers� needs for TPD concerning student assessment, classroom management, knowledge and understanding of English, content of performance standards, giving instruction, ICT skills for teaching, teaching students with special learning needs, and school management and administration. Suggestion for further study concerns with the bottom-up approach of carrying TPD based on the teachers� real needs as opposed to given programs.

TEACHER BELIEF AND PRACTICE IN A SCHOOL-BASED ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOM IN EASTERN INDONESIA

This study examines an English language teacher’s beliefs and practices within the context of implementation of school-based curriculum in Eastern Indonesia. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher belief and practice in the school-based curriculum through two research questions: “What are the teacher’s beliefs about teaching English in a school-based curriculum setting?” and “How does the school-based curriculum influence the teacher’s beliefs and practices?”. This case study adopts purposeful sampling involving a volunteered public junior high school English language teacher. It derives its qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, observation field notes and lesson plans. It identifies two themes of this teacher’s belief: “pragmatic views of teaching” and “conformity to practice”. When the beliefs were examined in relation to the practices, another two themes emerged, and they were “negotiation between expectations and practices” and “tension between conformity and practice”. The findings of this study indicate that negotiation was a constant practice while teaching within the context of the school-based curriculum. Although the teacher demonstrated autonomy in classroom management and teaching strategies, the freedom was not extended to the selection of teaching materials and activities. The identified tensions between conformity and practice highlight issues in teacher readiness and teacher support on the implementation of school-based curriculum. Keywords: Classroom practice, English language teacher, Indonesia, school-based curriculum, teacher belief. Cite as: Too, W. K. & Saimima, E. J. (2019). Teacher belief and practice in a school-based English language classroom in eastern Indonesia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(1), 211-231. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss1pp211-231

Task-based Pedagogies in Iran: The Relationship between Oracy and Literacy

Despite the recent emphasis on oral English language proficiency in the Iranian education system, the teaching of oral communication remains a challenge for secondary school English language teachers. In this article, we suggest that this, in part, relates to the continued emphasis on literacy practices. The article explores the approach taken by three Iranian junior high school English language teachers to teaching oracy during a summer school task-based intervention. Data were gathered through observations and interviews, and third generation activity theory from Engeström (1996; Engeström 2001) was used to analyse teachers’ practices. Findings revealed that, while trialling aspects of task-based pedagogies, the teachers’ attention to oracy increased. However, they retained a strong traditional focus on literacy teaching, which had an effect on their approach to oracy and also appeared to constrain their movement towards less-controlled spoken language. This small-scale study offers insights into approaches to oracy teaching while employing task-based pedagogies in foreign language contexts like Iran. In this context, English literacy has been the historical focus, the Roman alphabet is new for the students, and there is often limited exposure to oracy practices outside the classroom context (Sadeghi and Richards, 2015).

How Do Japanese Junior High School English Teachers React to the Teaching English in English Policy?

The Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) proposed the teaching English in English (TEE) policy in junior high schools (JHSs) in 2013. According to the new Course of Study (MEXT, 2017), JHS English teachers will be required to teach English in English starting in 2021. A study of JHS English teachers’ reactions to the new policy is reported in this paper. Participants included 98 public JHS English teachers (31 males and 67 females) in the northeast region of Japan. Teachers’ responses to the policy were investigated using the Teacher Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (TFLAS; Horwitz, 2013), a background questionnaire, class observations, and individual interviews. Due to JHS teachers’ lack of confidence in using English for instruction and concern over students’ possible struggles in learning, teachers were anxious about TEE. In addition, many teachers wanted practical training opportunities to develop their English communication skills to be ready for successful policy implementation. 文部科学省は2013年に、中学校でも英語の授業を英語で行う方針（TEE: Teaching English in English）を打ち出した。そして、2017年に改訂された新しい中学校学習指導要領では、2021年からの英語による指導が義務付けられた。本研究は、英語の授業を英語で行う方針に対する中学校英語教師の反応を調査したものである。東北地方の公立中学校英語教師98名（男性31名、女性67名）が本研究に参加した。調査にあたっては、教師外国語不安スケール（Horwitz, 2013）、質問紙、授業観察、インタビューの手法を活用した。その結果、中学校英語教師は英語を使った指導に対する自信のなさや、生徒の英語学習が困難になるかもしれないという思いから、英語による指導に不安を感じていることが分かった。さらに、多くの教師はTEEが滞りなく実施されるためにも、教師自身の英語によるコミュニケーション能力を伸ばす実践的な研修の機会の充実を望んでいた。

Speech Acts Proficiency of Junior High School English Teachers

Junior High School English teachers involved in this study taught English‘ speech acts at a Junior High School, where the materials taught include high level of spoken English. Thus, the English teachers need to be proficient in this particular skill. As professional educators, the teachers must have professionalcompetencies, particularly a good comprehension of the materials. Speech act constitutes spoken English, which is generally taught in Junior High School. Developing communication competence in English is the main purpose of English teaching in Junior High School. This descriptive qualitative research aims to describe a phenomenon: the ability of speech acts of Junior High School teachers. This knowledge comprises of several categories, namely the ability to define of speech acts, to identify speech acts conversations and to figure out speech act utterances. Drawing on the data garnered through the interviews, it was unveiled that most of the Junior High School English teachers could respond the given questions pertinent to speech acts. They could define the meaning of speech acts, identify the speech act conversations and figure out the speech act utterances. This study demonstrates that the proficiency level of the Junior High School English teachers is very good as they comprehend teaching materials and have good pedagogical skills.

Perceptions and The Implementation of Continuing Professional Development Through Publication Among English Teachers

This article is part of bigger study aiming to investigate Junior High School English teachers’ perceptions of continuing professional development (CPD) and its scheme implementation through self-development, publication and innovation. This article highlights the implementation of CPD through publication. The study employed qualitative method The data was first obtained from the questionnaire distributed to 13 English teachers. The result of the data was presented in simple percentage. Later, to get deeper understanding 7 English teachers were selected conveniently out of the 13 teachers to be interviewed. Data analysis of CPD implementation of the teachers is used as the evidence of the practice. The findings showed that English teachers in this study had positive perceptions towards CPD scheme implementation through publication. In practice, however, only few teachers wrote or published their works. This condition was caused by the limited time of the teachers to write, the lack of training on writing and other responsibilities besides teaching they had to bear. To help teachers publish their works, assistant in the form of training by experts is needed. Teachers’ active participation in teachers’ forums helping them to write should also be encouraged.

IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN WRITING NARRATIVE TEXT BY USING PICTURE SERIES FOR THE EIGHT GRADE STUDENTS OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

In this collaborative Classroom Action Research (CAR), the researcher tried to overcome the problem of writing narrative text facing by the eighth-grade students in Junior High School, especially in getting and composing the ideas. The question of this research was ‘Can Picture Series improve the students’ ability in writing the narrative text?’ This class action research was divided into two cycles. Every cycle was divided into four stages, including (1) planning, (2) implementing, (3) observing, and (4) reflecting and it was focussed on the students’ ability in writing narrative text by getting idea from a picture and developing the idea with the guidance from a series of pictures. The samples were 20 students of SMP Negeri 03 Sindang Kelingi, Curup, and Rejang Lebong. The data which were got from the students’ achievement in the cycle I and cycle II were analyzed by using quantitative analysis data technique. From the analysis, the writer founded that in the cycle I, students gain the average score 61,35 and in the cycle II the average score was 84,50.It is suggested for the Junior High School English teachers to apply this technique increase their students’ ability in writing the narrative