Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

Pleasure Reading, Better Understanding: A Young EFL Learner’s Journey in Digital Extensive Reading

Zalva Fajhira Shabrina Putri — 2025-04-19

Background: The struggle of a young English as a foreign language (EFL) learner in the midst of advanced technology to find pleasure and develop good comprehension in reading English materials necessitates the need to employ effective approaches in their reading experience.

Objective: This study investigated the implementation of digital extensive reading (DER) with a young EFL learner in Indonesia, exploring which established principles of extensive reading (ER) by Day and Bamford (1998) could be utilized in a digital context to foster reading for pleasure and comprehension.

Methods: This study employed a qualitative case study research design involving a seven-year-old young EFL learner in Indonesia. The data were obtained through multiple sources, including a learner diary, audio-recorded observations of ten DER sessions, and an interview with the learner’s father. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, referencing Day and Bamford’s (1998) top ten principles of ER.

Findings: The findings revealed that eight ER principles could be effectively implemented in the young EFL learner’s DER experience, showcasing the learner’s positive attitudes towards reading and enhanced reading comprehension.

Conclusion: Considering the result, the study recommends future studies to dig deeper into the effectiveness of DER across diverse learners by taking into account factors such as different ages, language proficiencies, learning styles, and technology access.

Developing and Validating Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Grit Scale: Evidence from Indonesia

Puput Arfiandhani — 2025-07-29

Background: Training to become an English teacher can be challenging for pre-service non-native English language teachers. In L2 English settings, they need to play a unique dual role as L2 teachers-in-training and L2 learners. Unlike trainees in other subjects, EFL teacher trainees use the target language they are still learning as the medium of instruction. Grit, a positive psychology concept referring to passion and perseverance, may help explain their perseverance and passion to become future EFL teachers. However, a specific grit scale to measure pre-service EFL teachers’ grit is still unavailable.

Objective: The purpose of the present study is to develop and validate a pre-service EFL teachers’ (PET) grit scale. The scale was designed to measure pre-service EFL teachers’ grit to become English language teachers.

Methods: To develop and validate the scale, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) (n = 117) and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) (n = 149) were conducted. Participants were final year pre-service EFL teachers in a private teacher training institution in Indonesia.

Findings: The self-report questionnaire comprised 11 items which were categorized into three subscales: passion for professional development, perseverance for professional development, and determination to become English teachers. The results indicated that the scale demonstrated moderate fit indices (RMSEA = .081; CFI = .92; TLI = .89; SRMR = .079, RNI = .92) with a chi-square value of χ² = 81.077 (df = 41). Furthermore, the empirical findings suggested that the newly designed instrument was valid and reliable (ω = 0.81; α = 0.80) for measuring pre-service EFL teachers’ grit.

Conclusion: The present study provides a valid and reliable measurement tool to evaluate the success of pedagogical interventions targeting grit among pre-service EFL teachers. For example, the scale can be utilized to identify pre-service EFL teachers who may need additional support to sustain their grit during challenging phases (e.g., teaching practicum, early stages of teacher training), thus enabling targeted interventions aimed at improving their grit levels. PET-Grit which can help improve teacher training programs and contribute to the growing body of research in this area. Theoretically, the present study highlights the complexity of pre-service EFL teachers' dual roles as both L2 learners and future L2 teachers, demonstrating that grit manifestation is culturally and contextually sensitive, thereby supporting the need for context-sensitive psychological constructs in applied linguistics.

Digitalization in Reading Classroom: How University Students View Digital Texts?

Ratih Laily Nurjanah — 2025-07-29

Background: The implementation of digital texts in classrooms can be helpful yet coming with some issues faced by the students. The research gap targeted by this paper is related to how students view digital texts in terms of the implementation and how digital texts influence their reading comprehension.

Objective: This paper aims to present how students perceived the use of digital text in a reading classroom.

Methods: It was a case study involving 40 students of 4^th semester as the respondents selected with purposive sampling technique to fill out a questionnaire distributed by the lecturer. 20 students of them were selected with snowball sampling as the respondents of interview. The responses were analyzed with thematic analysis approach.

Findings: The findings revealed that using digital texts mostly can be enjoyable for students since it is easy for them to bring the text in their smartphones though it comes with several problems such as eyes fatigue. It also revealed that students’ comprehension skill was not significantly helped by digital texts.

Conclusion: The implication is presenting insights on how to manage the use of digital texts based on students’ perceptions.

Analyzing Exercises in An English Textbook Entitled 'Think' (CEFR A1) Based on Communicative Language Teaching

Enggar Pangesti Wibowo — 2025-07-31

Background: Recent studies found that some English textbooks do not support Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) principles that are suitable to be emphasised in teaching with the current emancipated curriculum in Indonesia.

Objective: This study attempts an analysis on exercises in an English textbook entitled “Think” (CEFR A1) by Cambridge University Press for seventh graders. The research was to analyze the extent to which the exercises in the textbook follow the principles of CLT, to explore the teachers’ perspective in the use of textbooks to support CLT, and to describe the students' performances of the communicative classroom activities.

Methods: The research used a qualitative case study method employing document analysis, teachers’ interview and classroom observations in a private Islamic Junior High School in Semarang, Central Java.

Findings: The results show that the textbook strongly promotes communicative competence dominated by task completion activities with a proportion of individual tasks excelling in pair/group works in them.

Conclusion: However, the large number of exercises makes this book seem like a workbook. Although the teachers have adequate understanding of CLT principles and the activities presented in the textbook, the interviews showed that time constraints meant that most of the time, they could only use task completion and role play. The results of the students' performance showed that most of them succeeded in practicing the role play well although the low achievers who had problems in practicing the dialogue needed better scaffolding and time during the tasks completion.

Students’ Avoidance of English Use in English MKU During and Post-Pandemic

Corry Caromawati — 2025-07-31

Background: English as a general subject, known as Mata Kuliah Umum (MKU) in Indonesian tertiary education, primarily aims to develop students’ second language (L2) proficiency. These courses are therefore designed to encourage the use English during classroom interactions. However, many students choose to remain silent or resort to using Indonesian instead.

Objective: This study examines students’ unwillingness to communicate/participate in English during classroom instruction, both during and post pandemic.

Methods: It employs the third generation of the Activity Theory as the analytical framework, with the units of analysis being activities across the micro, meso, and macro levels. Using a case study approach, data were collected from multiple perspectives–students, teachers, and policymakers– through interviews. Course syllabi were analyzed as part of the dataset.

Findings: The findings suggest that the policy makers’ decisions influenced the communication behaviour in both online and offline classes. This study highlights the importance of fostering L2 use habits through policymaking strategies such as aligning instructional practices with intended learning outcomes, establishing explicit language-use rules, and providing supportive tools and learning environments.

Conclusion: Additionally, it emphasizes the need for teachers to deepen their understanding of the Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLTA), particularly in balancing the development of both fluency and accuracy.

Lecturers' Beliefs and Classroom Practices in Promoting Students' Critical Thinking Skills in Language Research Class

Dimas Adika Trisnanto — 2025-07-31

Background: Developing students' critical thinking skills has become an essential goal that needs to be realized in the scope of EFL education learning. Still, the application of learning practices often experiences various challenges. Thus, this study explored how English language education lecturers' beliefs and their classroom practices in promoting students' critical thinking skills in Language Research classrooms.

Objective: The study aimed to examine English language lecturers' beliefs and how they are represented in their teaching practices.

Methods: This study used a qualitative case study research design involving English language education study program lecturers in the Language Research class. Data was obtained through various sources, including interviews, classroom observations and document analysis. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis, referring to Braun and Clarke's (2006) six analysis steps.

Findings: Lecturers believed positively in the importance of critical thinking skills, grounded in their educational background and teaching philosophy. In teaching practice, they used strategies including dialogic and Socratic questions, real-world case studies, inquiry-based approaches, collaborative learning and feedback.

Conclusion: This study concludes that although lecturers are relatively high agencies in the context of critical thinking promotion, there is a need that institutional and contextual support to maintain congruence between beliefs and practice. Further studies can explore the viewpoint of students and the effects of institutional arrangements on teaching critical thinking skills.

The Impact of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) on the Expository Writing Skills of Learners in Nigeria

Mariam Jenrola Abdulkareem — 2025-07-31

Background: The Nigerian English language curriculum for writing mostly encourages a teacher-centred approach whereby the teacher simply gives writing task to students and leave them to figure it out on their own. This leaves many of the students stuck and thereby losing interest in English composition.

Objective: This study hereby investigates how Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) impacts the writing performance of secondary school students in Nigeria to see if a more student-centered approach might change the students’ perspective and performance. The study specifically focuses on organization and structure in expository writing. It primarily aims to determine whether using a student-centred approach like IBL can improve students’ writing performance.

Methods: A seven-week experimental study was conducted, and this involved an experimental group that was taught using IBL strategies and a control group that received traditional instruction. At the beginning of the study, each group consisted of 20 students, making the initial sample size 40. However, only 10 students from each group completed both the pre-test and post-test, which resulted in 20 valid responses. This reduction was largely because of the students’ motivation and attitudes toward the process, which affected their participation. Data collection included pre-tests and post-tests to assess students’ writing performance.

Findings: The results of the experiment underscore that no significant differences were observed between the performance of the experimental and control group. While IBL did not lead to measurable improvements in students’ ability to organize and structure expository essays, the study highlights the value of active student engagement in the learning process.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that the results may differ with a larger sample size and a longer period of intervention.