ABSTRACT
The current study aimed at investigating the teachers' strategies to alleviate students' writing anxiety and their perception of the teachers' strategies in online writing instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this study, the voices of teachers and students were considered by mapping out writing anxiety-reducing strategies and looking at students' perceptions of the teachers' strategies. This study employed a mixed-method design. The data were obtained from interviews with eight English teachers from several universities in Indonesia. Meanwhile, 274 students were given a questionnaire about their perception of the teachers' strategies to alleviate students' writing anxiety. The result of the data analysis showed that teachers have used some strategies, such as motivating the students to be confident, creating an enjoyable classroom, implementing self-select topics, implementing a writing process approach, implementing a combination of automated writing feedback tools, giving both oral and written teacher feedback, and assigning peer feedback. In addition, this study also affirms that students have a positive perception of the teachers' strategies for alleviating online writing anxiety. It is suggested that future researchers working on similar topics investigate specific strategies implemented to alleviate students' writing anxiety based on types of anxiety or their levels of anxiety. © 2023, The Pacific Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning (PacCALL). All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The abrupt shift of teaching and learning to the online mode due to the Covid-19 outbreak has inevitably called for technology integration to better engage students in online instruction. This call includes the possibility to enact podcast in an English as a foreign language (EFL) class, particularly in speaking. However, despite the increasing number of studies on the benefits of podcasting for language teaching and learning, little attention has been paid to EFL students' engagement in self-created podcast at the micro-level of instruction. Thus, this study aimed to fill this void by enquiring how students engage in podcast-based speaking activities and what drives their engagement. It involved 23 EFL students at a public university in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The data were gleaned from learning portfolios, oral reflections, and students' written narratives in sixteen sessions. The framework of engagement and self-determination theory were employed to carry out thematic analysis. The findings evince that, in general, the students disclosed positive behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement in a series of podcast based-speaking activities. More autonomy and competence-supportive learning environment and unbalanced relatednesssupportive learning environment were found to be the contributing factors of students' engagement. In addition to teachers' and students' factors, parents, families, and students' friends beyond the classroom appeared to be other social factors which might affect students' engagement. This study suggests three recommendations for improving podcast-based speaking classrooms in EFL practices. Some possible research topics for extended investigation are also suggested. © 2022 Khusnul Khotimah, Bambang Yudi Cahyono & Deisyi Anna Batunan
ABSTRACT
Due to the massive spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Indonesia, teachers are demanded to make immediate plans for online teaching. Online teaching aimed to maintain the teaching quality as well as to get the students to feel more motivated in learning. Of the various studies on motivation and its role in students’ English learning, research that specifically focused on how students promote motivation to learn English remotely is still limited. This study, therefore, investigated the higher education students’ motivation in online English learning and found factors that affect their motivation. To get the data, an online survey questionnaire was created and distributed by using Google Forms. Interviews were then conducted as a follow-up of respondents' responses to the questionnaire items. The interviews were conducted to obtain the specific information which was not revealed in the questionnaire. The results show that students have a medium level of positive motivation in online English learning. Some factors that strongly affect the level of motivation includes learning attitudes (having a strong desire to learn English), self-confidence (the capability to join the online English learning well) and influence of other people (family members and lecturers). © 2022, Universitas Negeri Makassar- Faculty of Languages and Literature. All rights reserved.