Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning

The Effectiveness of Monopoly Quest Game to Enhance Vocabulary Mastery in Junior HIgh School

2026-06-26T17:57:59+07:00

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Monopoly Quest Game to enhance students’ vocabulary mastery in junior high school. This research employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental design. The study involved 44 seventh-grade students from MTs Matholi’ul Huda Troso. To measure students’ vocabulary knowledge before and after the treatment, pre-test and post-test scores were collected and analyzed. Normality and homogeneity tests were applied to analyze the data, and an independent-samples t-test was applied to test the hypothesis. The findings revealed that students in the experimental group achieved better results than those in the control group, as the significance value obtained from the t-test was below 0.05. In addition, the improvement in the experimental group was higher, with a mean score increase of 30.93, compared to 10.91 in the control group. These findings suggest that the Monopoly Quest Game is effective in enhancing students’ vocabulary mastery at the junior high school level.

Undergraduate Students’ Perception of Authentic Listening Materials and the Strategies in Enhancing Listening Comprehension

2026-06-26T17:58:00+07:00

This study aims to investigate undergraduate students’ perception of authentic listening materials, the challenges they encounter, and the listening strategies they use to enhance listening comprehension. A descriptive qualitative method with a phenomenological approach was used, involving 20 fifth-semester students from the English Education Department at Wiralodra University. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while interview data were analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that students have positive perceptions of authentic listening materials, as they help improve listening comprehension, increase motivation, and provide exposure to real-life language use. However, students also face several challenges, including fast speech, unfamiliar vocabulary, long listening texts, and accent variation. To address these challenges, students employ various listening strategies such as predicting content, focusing on key information, note-taking, and applying metacognitive, cognitive, and socio-affective strategies.

Comparing AI and English Education Student Peer Feedback Quality in Assessing English Presentation Skills

2026-06-26T17:58:00+07:00

This study investigated the differences between peer feedback generated by preservice teachers and an artificial intelligence model that simulated the same perspective on assessing student presentation performance in an English education context. Research comparing artificial intelligence and preservice teacher-generated peer feedback in assessing presentation performance rather than writing performance was rare, especially in the Indonesian higher education context. This study aimed to measure and compare the quality, strengths, and limitations of feedback provided by seventh-semester English Education department students versus artificial intelligence-generated feedback. This study used a qualitative descriptive method to analyze 10 peer feedback samples collected from 5 students and 5 artificial intelligence models. A standard presentation review rubric served as a form for both feedback types to review the presentation skills. The researcher used an adapted rubric to compare the two feedback types. The findings showed that the artificial intelligence-generated feedback was more elaborate and detailed but lacked contextual understanding. Human feedback offered contextual understanding and comments shaped by shared classroom experiences but tended to be shorter and surface-level. The study concluded that artificial intelligence-generated feedback was more precise and strong in organizational quality, while human feedback was more authentic and offered interpersonal support. Both feedback types can be used as pedagogical tools. They help students understand how effective feedback should be structured. Teachers can also consider using artificial intelligence as a supplementary tool for grading presentation skills.

Using Wordwall Quizzes in English Grammar Learning: Exploring Students’ Perceptions And Experiences

2026-06-26T17:58:00+07:00

Working on English Grammar exercises written on paper tests or books is often regarded as an activity that is difficult and boring. Students often feel it is a burden that makes them struggle a lot. This study aimed to investigate the students’ perceptions and experiences of using Wordwall quizzes in English Grammar learning. The data used in this study were semi-structured interviews of 6 selected participants and 67 questionnaires containing open-ended questions. The study revealed that the Wordwall platform had successfully helped students improve their motivation and reduce their boredom during the learning process. The results collected from open-ended questionnaires also showed that students perceived Wordwall positively, as it helped them understand grammar more easily, made learning more enjoyable, and increased their motivation to learn English. It concludes that Wordwall is a useful tool to support English language learning, especially in improving student engagement and creating interactive learning experiences that are interactive. Integrating interview and open-ended questionnaire results reinforces the findings and gives a more complete understanding of the usefulness of digital learning tools in the classroom.

Unpacking Project-Based Learning in ELT: A Case Study of Teachers’ Pedagogical Practices at an Indonesian Secondary School

2026-06-26T17:58:00+07:00

Project-Based Learning (PBL) has been increasingly implemented in English Language Teaching (ELT) to promote active and meaningful learning. This study aimed to investigate the implementation of PBL in ELT by teachers at an Indonesian secondary school and explore the challenges encountered during its classroom application using Larmer’s Gold Standard PBL framework. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach with a case study design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The results showed that PBL was implemented through several stages, beginning with authenticity by connecting project topics to students’ real-life experiences, followed by challenging questions to encourage students to express ideas and opinions, critical thinking activities during problem-solving and task completion, small group discussions to support collaboration among students, project presentations to allow students to present their work using English, and reflection to help students evaluate their learning process. However, several challenges were also identified, including time constraints, students’ language proficiency, teachers’ readiness, and students’ readiness. This study highlights both the potential and the challenges of implementing PBL in ELT and emphasizes the need for adequate preparation and support to ensure more effective PBL implementation in school settings.

Strategic Approaches in Teaching Critical Listening to EFL Learners: A Classroom Case Study

2026-06-26T17:58:00+07:00

This qualitative case study investigates how a university EFL lecturer integrates multiple instructional strategies to teach Critical Listening to third-semester English Education students in Indonesia. Employing classroom observations, interviews, and document analysis, the study identifies three key strategies: bottom-up, top-down, and direct instruction. Findings reveal that these approaches, applied in a complementary manner across different teaching stages, foster improved vocabulary acquisition, comprehension of audio texts, and critical engagement. Challenges such as limited class time, lack of student motivation, and insufficient vocabulary were documented, alongside practical solutions such as media adaptation and flexible lesson planning. The study contributes to understanding effective pedagogical frameworks in EFL listening instruction and emphasizes the contextual factors that influence their success. Implications highlight the need for adaptive strategy use, increased teacher support, and future research into self-regulated learning integration.

Applying Strategies in English Communication: A Case Study of Mechanical Engineering Students

2026-06-26T17:58:00+07:00

This study investigated the communication strategies employed by Mechanical Engineering students in English communication and explored the reasons underlying their strategy preferences. Using a qualitative case study design, the research involved 42 Mechanical Engineering students of Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta during the 2021/2022 academic year. The primary data were obtained from recorded conversations between the students and English-speaking foreigners, while semi-structured interviews were conducted with four selected participants to identify the reasons for strategy use. The analysis was based on the communication strategies taxonomy proposed by (Dörnyei & Lee Scott, 1997). The findings revealed that literal translation was the most frequently used communication strategy, accounting for 73 occurrences (21%) out of 352 identified communication traits. In contrast, word coinage, appeal for help, and clarification request were the least frequently used strategies, each appearing only once (0.2%). Interview results indicated that the dominance of literal translation was influenced by students’ limited vocabulary, insufficient grammatical knowledge, and reliance on their first language during communication. Meanwhile, the least-used strategies were associated with students’ lack of confidence and limited English comprehension. The study concludes that first-language influence plays a significant role in shaping communication strategy use among Mechanical Engineering students and highlights the need for explicit instruction on communication strategies in English language learning.

Exploring the Design and Students’ Perceptions of ChatGPT-Assisted English Learning: A Qualitative Study

2026-06-26T17:58:00+07:00

This qualitative study explores how ChatGPT can be incorporated into a structured AI-assisted English learning design and how undergraduate EFL students perceive its pedagogical value and limitations. The study involved five students at Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar who had experience using ChatGPT to support English learning activities. Data were collected through classroom observation, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis of students’ learning artifacts. The instructional design consisted of five stages: orientation to responsible AI use, prompt modelling, guided language practice, independent task completion, and reflective evaluation. Thematic analysis showed that students perceived ChatGPT as useful for grammar explanation, vocabulary exploration, writing revision, conversation simulation, and self-paced learning. Students also reported that ChatGPT offered a lower-pressure space for repeated practice, which helped them experiment with English more confidently. However, the findings should be interpreted as evidence of perceived learning support rather than measurable improvement in English proficiency because the study did not use pre-test, post-test, proficiency scores, or systematic skill assessment. The participants also identified risks related to overdependence, uncritical use of AI-generated responses, and possible inaccuracies. The study suggests that ChatGPT can support student-centered English learning when it is integrated through teacher-guided, reflective, and ethically responsible activities.