LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching

1

Authors: Nidya Indrilla, Dyah Setyowati Ciptaningrum

This paper aims to reveal the effectiveness of Scientific Approach in the teaching writing skills. This research used a quasi-experimental design. The population was grade VIII students of Redion School. Two classes were randomly selected as the sample. They are class 8B which used Scientific Approach as the experimental group, while class 8D becomes the control group which used conventional approach. The data were collected by using writing test. The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics with the SPSS 20 for Windows computer program. The results were as follows: (1) there were significant differences in the writing achievement among the students taught by using the Scientific Approach and conventional approach, (2) the use of the Scientific Approach was more effective than that of the conventional approach in teaching writing skills.

3

Authors: Silih Warni, Tian Abdul Aziz, Dimas Febriawan

This research was conducted to examine Indonesian students' experiences in using technology in learning English outside the classroom with regards to learner autonomy as an important capacity for students’ learning success. The subjects of the study were students of a private Senior High School in South Tangerang. As for the methodology, this research applied quantitative and qualitative design. Quantitative elements include questionnaires as the data collecting method, while qualitative elements used semi structured interviews. In this interview, five students were chosen purposively based on students’ responses on the questionnaires. The findings of this study indicate that the use of technology to learn English outside the classroom has encouraged the development of learner autonomy which includes aspects of learning motivation, metacognitive awareness, self-confidence and social skills. This research is expected to help English teachers improve their students' English proficiency with the concern on the development of learner autonomy by using various information and communication technology.

5

Authors: Marwito Wihadi, Eva Tuckyta Sari Sujatna, Ypsi Soeriasoemantri, Eni Karlieni

Working on writing argumentative essay instructions has been practices in a non-formal language learning settings. Yet, its students’ pursued claims are not fully explored as an evaluativion of how student-writers interact as conveying arguments with the readers. Investigating the linguistic resources on which they develop and evaluate these, two selected English Language essays were looked into regarding to exploitation of macrostructures in them. Subsequently, they were captured within the framework of appraisal theory as to emerge various trends relative to the employment of engagement resource types, combined with the other resources in confirming claims: graduation and attitudinal ones. It was pinpointed that the essays were low-graded notifying substantial numbers of monoglossic resources with low-considered attitudinal items. They failed to recognise other voices and alternative positions. Their construction of evaluative meanings provided feedbacks, enhancing classroom teachers’ awareness of typical features in genre-based instructions.

7

Authors: Girindra Saraswati, Hartoyo Hartoyo, Amida Fadwati

This paper aims at finding out a model or a concrete picture of the role of local culture in intercultural communication teaching embedded in English speaking classes. Specifically, this paper studied the first-year-students’ studying speaking in English Department of Universitas Negeri Semarang and lecturers lecturing speaking lesson in the same university. The study design, method, and approach implemented in this study, respectively, were case study, qualitative, and interdisciplinary. In addition, data were collected through observation, interview, and documentation study, and were validated by using triangulation technique. The collected data were analyzed using interactive model, comprising data reduction, data presentation, and verification. Results showed that the knowledge of culture, both native and foreign one, was embedded in teaching speaking classes of first-year-students in Universitas Negeri Semarang. The local culture itself served as benchmark and departing point of teaching intercultural communication to students. By acting as a benchmark, local culture gave students a standard of what considered acceptable and not acceptable both in native and foreign culture. While as a departing point, local culture served as the initial knowledge of students before getting to understand the concept of international communication further. For teaching speaking in general, local culture which was used as a ground to introduce intercultural communication would be beneficial for teachers to teach polite oral English communication which was acceptable for speakers coming from various nations.

9

Authors: Agustinus Hardi Prasetyo

The development of a student-teacher’s language assessment literacy was viewed through her experiences in conducting teaching practice in one of the senior high schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. An interview was conducted to explore the experiences taking place in the teaching-practice in relation to the language assessment literacy development. It was found out that the experiences were understood as mostly dealing with administrative tasks and there is a need of more knowledge in administrative matter in teaching and assessment. From the results of the study it was obvious that further studies need to be conducted to explore the role of teaching-practice in the development of student-teaching language assessment literacy. More participants and multiple data collection methods in a longitudinal study are needed to help student-teachers to be more assessment literate, which in turn helps them to be better teachers.

11

Authors: Anderson Hidarto

Cognitive Grammar (CG) is a relatively new approach to linguistics that is becoming more mainstream in recent years due to its comprehensive description and meaningful elaboration of grammar. CG proponents have been proposing this approach to L2 grammar instruction instead of a more traditional approach that relies heavily on rules. Our main interest is to investigate whether such approach is indeed beneficial to learners, particularly in the learning of English past tenses. Our goal in the current study is therefore to examine the relative effect of CG instruction on Indonesian EFL learners’ mastery of two past tenses, simple past and past perfect. These tenses were selected as our instructional targets since most common traditional explanation does not help learners differentiate and use them contextually (Jones & Lock, 2011). Twenty-seven EFL learners studying at a senior high school in Jakarta participated in this quasi-experimental study. They were assigned to one experimental group receiving a two-week pedagogical treatment with pre-test and immediate post-test design. Statistical analyses indicate that the group significantly performed better after the treatment, notably in discourse-related test sections. The results confirm the efficacy of CG which can lend support to its applications in L2 instruction.