Journal of Applied Linguistics (ALTICS)

Identifying Critical Thinking in “My Next Words” for Fifth Grade: A Study Using Content Analysis

Milatul Auliya Dewi Dewi — 2024-11-19

This study investigates the presence and development of critical thinking elements within the My Next Words textbook for fifth-grade EFL students. Using content analysis, the research examines the textbook's activities through the lens of Bloom's Taxonomy: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. Analysis of specific instructions, such as "Look at the picture and write your friend’s activities" and "Describe your activity that you can do in your room," reveals that while the textbook incorporates tasks fostering basic critical thinking skills like recall and application, it falls short in promoting higher-order cognitive processes, including detailed analysis and critical evaluation. To enhance the development of advanced critical thinking skills, future editions should integrate more complex activities that challenge students to engage in deeper cognitive processes. The study underscores the need for a more balanced approach to foster comprehensive critical thinking abilities in EFL education, suggesting that future research should explore the long-term impact of these tasks and the role of teacher training and digital tools in enhancing critical thinking.

Keywords: Critical Thinking, Content Analysis, Bloom’s Taxonomy, EFL Instruction, Elementary Education

Exploring the Factors Affecting the Difficulties of 6th Semester English Education Students in Writing Essays at Universitas Perjuangan Tasikmalaya

Ananda Sri Wahyuni — 2024-11-19

Essay writing is an essential academic skill for English education students. However, many 6th semester students face various difficulties in the essay writing process. This study aims to find out the factors that affect students' difficulties among 6th semester English Education students at Universitas Perjuangan Tasikmalaya in writing essays and how students overcome their difficulties. Using a qualitative with case study approach, data were collected through close-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and document. Participants included 30 6th semester students; 7 males and 23 females. Data collection began with an online questionnaire addressing difficulties in essay writing related to linguistic, psychological, and cognitive problems. To support the questionnaire data, interviews were conducted with two participants to gather further insights into their essay writing difficulties and how students overcome their difficulties, and the last was students’ essay as the document. Data were then analyzed by counting responses, transcribing interviews, and presenting findings descriptively. The study found that despite having taken an English Essay Writing class in semester 3, students still faced significant difficulties in three aspects: linguistic problems, psychological problems, and cognitive problems. To overcome these difficulties, students will practice writing regularly, expand their vocabulary through reading, and increase their motivation in writing essays.

Keywords: Writing difficulties, essay, English education

SPEAKING DIFFICULTIES FACED BY SECOND GRADE STUDENTS AT ISLAMIC BOARDING SCHOOL IN TASIKMALAYA

Silvi Sultonah — 2024-11-19

Speaking is an important skill in English with aim to be able to communicate orally. Learners from English as Second Language (ESL) countries often faced difficulty in learning English especially in speaking with various factors. This study aimed to find the factors of eight-grade students’ difficulty in speaking from non- linguistic factor. The researcher used qualitative method with ethnography as research design to find out students’ speaking difficulties factors. This research has six respondents from eight-grade students at an Islamic boarding school in Tasikmalaya with purposive sampling. Research data were analyzed by using triangulation that included observation, interview, and questionnaire. The findings of this research are: (1) linguistic factors that found by researchers are lack of vocabulary, lack of pronunciation, and lack of grammar that impacted students’ speaking performance. (2) non-linguistic factors that found by researcher are psychological factors such as shyness, anxiety, and lack of confidence which affected students’ speaking performance.

Keywords: Speaking difficulty, non-linguistic factors, psychological factors.

TYPES OF ERRORS CAUSING STUDENTS’ MISSPELLING IN VOCABULARY DICTATION

Muhamad Fajar Ramdhani — 2024-11-19

The purpose of this study was to examine the types and patterns of spelling errors seen in vocabulary dictation activities among 15 seventh-grade students at a junior high school in Tasikmalaya. The study used qualitative methods, including documentation, to thoroughly analyze the nature of these errors. The study identified several cognitive and linguistic elements that contributed to the students' spelling errors. Although the particular sorts of errors were not fully identified, numerous common patterns appeared, including problems with letter sounds, vowel combinations, and word endings. Validity and reliability tests were performed to confirm the data's accuracy, which enhanced the study's conclusions. The analysis of these errors revealed that a greater knowledge of cognitive and linguistic aspects should help educators build focused teaching strategies to reduce such errors. Finally, the study's methodological rigor provided a comprehensive understanding of the issue, offering vital knowledge to enhancing spelling performance in schools.

Keywords: Spelling, Spelling Errors, Vocabulary, Spelling & Dictation, Dictation Vocabulary

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN STUDENTS' SELF-CONFIDENCE AND THEIR SPEAKING ABILITY AT SMPN 2 KADIPATEN

Hilman Bunyamin — 2024-11-19

This study aims to identify the correlation between students’ self-confidence and their speaking ability of seventh-grade students at SMPN 2 Kadipaten. This study was designed to investigated the correlation between two variables. There was self-confidence as the independent variable and speaking ability as the dependent variable. This study involved 43 students as a sample of seventh-grade at SMPN 2 Kadipaten. As a tool to measure self-confidence, a questionnaire adopted from Lauster (2012) was used, and speaking score from English teacher was used to measure speaking ability. After conducted validity and reliability tested, the researcher distributed the self-confidence questionnaire to the sample. Then, used T-test Correlation in SPSS 25. The data was analyzed with the correlation between self-confidence and speaking ability. The results showed that the sig_value of 0.757 > 0.05 and the r_value = 0.049. The alternative hypothesis H_a was rejected, and the null hypothesis H₀ was accepted. Therefore, self-confidence was not correlated with the speaking ability of seventh-graders at SMPN 2 Kadipaten.

Keywords: Correlation, Self-confidence, Speaking Ability