EBONY: Journal of English Language Teaching, Linguistics, and Literature

Perceptual Alignment: Investigating EFL Teachers' Perspectives on Students' Writing Difficulties

Novika Amalia — 2025-01-15

The study investigates the alignment between EFL teachers' perceptions of students' writing difficulties and the actual performance of students in vocabulary, grammar, organization, and mechanics. Using semi-structured interviews with five certified EFL teachers and written tests from 28 junior high school students, the research employs thematic and content analysis. Results show strong alignment in vocabulary and grammar, highlighting issues such as limited vocabulary range and frequent grammatical errors. However, significant misalignment is found in organization and mechanics, with teachers overestimating students' skills in structuring essays and using punctuation. The findings underscore the pressing need to address these gaps, as the misalignment between teacher perceptions and student performance hinders effective instruction and student progress in writing proficiency. Bridging this gap is crucial for fostering holistic EFL writing skills. Suggestions include structured feedback rubrics, peer evaluations, and professional development workshops to enhance teaching practices. This study contributes to improving EFL instruction by identifying gaps in teacher-student alignment and proposing targeted interventions for better writing proficiency.

EcoLingua: Optimizing Indonesian Learning through Lumen5 in Digital Era

Izhar — 2025-01-15

This scholarly investigation examines the evolution and application of Lumen5-based video instructional media for Indonesian language pedagogy with a specific emphasis on environmental themes. Employing a Research and Development (R&D) methodology through the ADDIE framework, the inquiry produced five interactive videos that address various environmental challenges, including forest fires, flooding, waste management, landslides, and the maintenance of school hygiene. The research encompassed extensive evaluations involving 10th-grade students, utilizing a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to evaluate the efficacy of the video-centric learning paradigm. Findings indicated a 30% enhancement in students' understanding of environmental concepts in comparison to conventional text-based instructional strategies. Moreover, 80% of the students indicated heightened engagement with the educational content, while 75% exhibited advancements in their digital literacy competencies. The utilization of Lumen5's AI-driven platform was found to be effective in producing interactive, visually stimulating materials that are appealing to Generation Z learners. By aligning with the Merdeka Curriculum and integrating local environmental contexts, this inquiry presents a scalable framework for augmenting both language instruction and environmental awareness in the context of the digital era. The outcomes imply that AI-enhanced video learning platforms possess the potential to effectively reconcile the divide between traditional educational approaches and modern instructional requirements while fostering environmental consciousness among learners.

The Role of Women’s Language in Transwoman’s Identity in The Documentary Disclosure (2021)

Aqilah Aulia Nadhifa — 2025-01-15

This research explores the use of women’s language by trans women in the documentary Disclosure. The research is based on Robin Lakoff and Judy Pearson’s theory, which explains the various language features often used by women to express themselves in social contexts and also how the function of women’s language. These features include women’s language, which reflects the way women communicate. This study aims to identify the types of women’s language features used by transwomen in the documentary and understand the function of the language in constructing, expressing, and representing their gender identity. The method used in this research is qualitative, with data collection techniques in the form of observation and analysis of dialog contained in the documentary. The dialogues spoken by Transwoman are classified based on Lakoff's women’s Language and Pearson’s Function of Women’s Language theory, then analyzed to see how language choices play a role in representing their gender identity. The results of this study are expected to reveal the relationship between the language features used and the process of gender identity construction in the media. In addition, this research makes a significant contribution to the study of sociolinguistics by expanding the understanding of the relationship between language, gender, and also identity.

Investigating the Use of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) for Listening Instructions in SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang

Zidan Dwi Khalfani Kareem — 2025-01-15

Listening is essential for effective communication but often poses challenges in traditional teaching settings, where exposure to authentic materials is limited (Vandergrift & Goh, 2012). However, Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) provides mobile access to interactive audio content, enabling adaptive learning experiences (Burston, 2014) and continuous exposure to varied accents (Godwin-Jones, 2017). This study explores the implementation of MALL for listening instructions in SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang, focusing on the research questions: “Has SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang incorporated MALL into their teaching practices?” and “How does MALL contribute to improving SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang students' listening skills?” This qualitative research employs observation and semi-structured interviews to examine MALL's application in real classroom settings, aligning with the (Creswell, 2014) emphasis on context and utilizing thematic analysis to identify emerging patterns (Braun & Clarke, 2013). Findings reveal that while SMAN 5 Tanjungpinang has started incorporating MALL, there is significant potential to enhance its integration further and positively impact students' listening skills. These results highlight the importance of integrating mobile technology into educational curricula to enhance language learning outcomes.

Teachers’ Perspectives and Experiences in Higher Education Vocabulary Instruction

Ni Nyoman Tantri — 2025-01-22

The selection of vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) is a pivotal action in the English teaching and learning process. This study aimed to explore what teachers perceive and experience in vocabulary instruction in higher education. A narrative approach was employed in this study. Using the purposive sampling technique under the criteria of a minimum of four years of experience as permanent English teachers and limited the area of study only to one of religious higher education in Central Kalimantan, five English teachers were enrolled as participants. Unstructured, open-ended interviews were used as the instrument for collecting the primary data. After collecting the stories, the data were reported and validated using triangulation. The results revealed that teachers believed that using a variety of learning strategies to engage learners to be interested in vocabulary instruction was useful. Then, the challenges both external and internal factors faced by teachers in vocabulary instruction could be handled by employing the strategies that fit the students’ characteristics, such as learning vocabulary through songs, games, and social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and so forth. Therefore, it can be drawn to the conclusion that teachers must always be creative and innovative in action by utilizing technology advancement. Besides, the use of differentiated instruction approach could be better employed by teachers for solutions to problems, particularly in facilitating diverse student characteristics. Next, the use of various modes of learning or multimodal sources can also help students in higher education to get very meaningful vocabulary learning.

Leveraging Waiterio as Learning Media for English for Restaurant: A Case Study

Komang Satya Permadi — 2025-01-26

This research investigates rationale, implementation, and pedagogical implications of employing the Waiterio application as a learning media within an English for Restaurant. Employing a purposive sampling methodology, the study involved twenty-six students and one instructor. Data collection was conducted through a case study approach, utilizing observational methods, literature review, interviews, and questionnaires. Qualitative data analysis was employed to interpret the findings. The study revealed that Waiterio application is favored due to its user-friendly interface in comparison to alternative applications. Furthermore, its high degree of flexibility, facilitated by its accessibility across multiple platforms, makes it particularly suitable for diverse learning environments. The research indicated that Waiterio application can be readily integrated into the English for Restaurant curriculum, particularly in facilitating learning related to service sequences. However, limitations were identified, including the requirement for a stable internet connection and the absence of reservation feature. Despite these limitations, student participants unanimously acknowledged the application's ease of use and strongly recommended its utilization within the Food and Beverage Service department. The study concluded that the Waiterio application, owing to its user-friendly interface, can serve as a foundational tool for introducing students to Point of Service applications before transitioning to more comprehensive and complex platforms.

Exploring the Representation of Gender in Foklores from Central Kalimantan

Indah Wulandari — 2025-01-26

Folklores are frequently used as teaching media at schools. However, they are suspected to contain gender stereotypes. This study aims to examine the gender representation and gender stereotypes in 28 folklores from Central Kalimantan published in two books by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia in 1982 and 1995. Gender representation is explored through the roles and occurrence of the characters in the folklores, while four categories of gender stereotypes (personality traits, domestic behaviors, occupations, and physical appearances) are used to investigate the gender stereotypes attached to the male and female characters in the stories. The results show there is an imbalanced representation of male and female characters in Central Kalimantan folklores; from the total of 106 characters, male representation has almost twice in occurrence (60.4%) compared to the female one (39.6%). Mostly, males are the main characters in the stories having both positive or negative roles, and the females have only inferior roles. The gender stereotypes of patriarchy are found to be promoted through the characters’ description in the folklores. Therefore, to represent the proper concept of gender equality through stories, a critical view is needed in selecting folklores as teaching media at schools.

Mispronunciation of English Fricative Consonant Sounds by East Nusa Tenggara Students

Marianus Paulino Mada — 2025-01-22

This study aims to examine the incorrect pronunciation of specific English fricative consonants (/v/, /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/) by Indonesian students, particularly those from East Nusa Tenggara who are studying English as a foreign language. Five male university students from East Nusa Tenggara province, who were brothers of the Society of the Divine Word and had attended an English course, were selected to study pronunciation of fricative consonants. The researchers conducted ten-word list, recorded the data, and analyzed the mistakes using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). A native speaker assessed using a scoring rubric from 1-5. The pronunciation was correct if the scores were 4 and 5, while scores 1-3 were incorrect. The findings were then presented in the research. Results indicated typical substitutions of v/ with /f/, /θ/ with /t/, /ð/ with /d/, /ʃ/ with /s/, and /ʒ/ with /s. The study reveals that students in East Nusa Tenggara enhance their pronunciation and confidence by employing contextualized materials, foreign speakers, pronunciation software, audiovisual techniques, and community-based English activities.

Exploring Clause Complexity: A Comprehensive Analysis of a Student’s Narrative Text on Central Kalimantan Folklore

Mimo Lalito Erisyerico — 2025-01-15

Writing cohesive and engaging narrative texts requires effective use of clause complexity to convey meaning and maintain reader interest. This research examines clause complexity in a narrative text written by a student in the English Education Program at the University of Palangka Raya, focusing on Central Kalimantan folklore. Using a qualitative approach with content analysis and Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), the research applies Halliday and Matthiessen’s (2013) framework, emphasizing taxis (parataxis and hypotaxis) and logico-semantic relations, including expansion (elaboration, extension, and enhancement) and projection (locution and idea). The text was chosen for its thematic relevance, generic structure, language features, and clause diversity. Results show paratactic constructions dominate, comprising 77% of the total clauses, reflecting the student’s preference for coordination to ensure readability and clarity. Paratactic extension (27%) and enhancement (17%) highlight effective idea connection and context, while paratactic locution (33%) underscores the role of dialogue in engaging readers. Hypotactic constructions, at 13%, focus on idea projection and enhancement (10%), indicating limited use of subordination for expressing complex relationships. These findings underline the importance of mastering both coordination and subordination techniques for cohesive, meaningful narratives. The research provides insights for educators to enhance students' clause usage in academic writing.

An Analysis of Flouting Maxim Used by Mowgli in The Jungle Book Movie: Pragmatics Study

Muhsinah Dwi Lestari — 2025-01-26

This study aims to identify and describe the functions of flouting maxims in The Jungle Book movie using a pragmatic approach. Employing a descriptive qualitative method, the research analyzes Mowgli's utterances to reveal four types of flouting maxims: quantity, quality, manner, and relation. The most frequently flouted maxim is relation, highlighting Mowgli's strategies to survive and stay safe in the forest. Conversely, Mowgli rarely flouts the maxim of quality due to his sense of gratitude toward those who saved him. The research also identifies three functions of flouting maxims: competitive, collaborative, and convivial. Among these, the collaborative function is the most common, as Mowgli often seeks cooperation with various animals. In contrast, the convivial function is rarely used, reflecting his effort to maintain politeness and avoid causing offense. This study provides a concrete example of the application of pragmatic theory, particularly the cooperative principle, demonstrating its relevance in understanding characters' communication strategies in films.