Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning

An evaluation of the Advanced Oxford Practice Grammar Course book used for VLU’s English majors

2025-12-24T17:49:27+07:00

Textbook evaluations help select the best textbook by highlighting its potential strengths and weaknesses. This mixed-methods study aimed to determine whether George Yule’s Advanced Oxford Practical Grammar remained relevant as a compulsory textbook for first-year English-majored students at Van Lang University, Vietnam. Questionnaire and interview were served as the main research instruments with the participation of the thirty experienced English instructors. Quantitative data analysis involved the use of Microsoft Excel for frequency and percentage calculation, whereas the checklist for the questionnaire was based on and covered two main rubrics, namely content and practical considerations. Meanwhile, the qualitative responses from the interviews were carefully analyzed using a six-phased thematic analysis framework guideline, which allowed for the systematic categorization of instructors' assessments and experiences regarding the grammar course book into related themes. The findings demonstrated how well-suited the textbook was for tertiary students in terms of teaching grammar in a practical setting. The thoughtful application of additional grammar exercises and the connection of more pertinent contexts to communicate grammatical points and structures were two other suggested enhancements. Even though the textbook covered the most crucial grammatical topics for advanced learners with a plethora of examples and hands-on exercises, the participants pointed out some complex and unusual grammatical usage that might need to be revised. Particularly, suggestions called for more additional and interactive activities and tasks.

Investigating pedagogical knowledge-base of EFL pre-service teachers through reflective teaching practice

2025-12-24T17:49:27+07:00

This paper investigates the pedagogical knowledge base of pre-service teachers through their reflective teaching practice during a field teaching program. Four pre-service teachers from two state secondary schools participated in a 40-day practicum and produced reflective teaching journals, which were analyzed together with interview data. Using a case study design, the analysis followed the macro–micro categories of pedagogical knowledge. The findings indicate that the participants demonstrated varying degrees of pedagogical awareness, with Learning Management emerging as the most dominant category, followed by Knowledge Management, Classroom Management, and Language Management. These results suggest that reflective teaching helps pre-service teachers identify their strengths and challenges in managing learning processes, understanding learners, and making informed instructional decisions. The study highlights the importance of grounding teacher education programs in reflective practice to strengthen pre-service teachers’ pedagogical readiness

The effectiveness of Cake application towards vocabulary mastery

2025-12-24T17:49:28+07:00

This investigates the effectiveness of the Cake application in improving the English vocabulary mastery of tenth-grade students at MA Masalikil Huda Tahunan Jepara. The research responds to the ongoing issue of students’ limited vocabulary despite formal English instruction. A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group was employed, using purposive sampling to select two classes consisting of 25 students each. The experimental group learned using the Cake application, while the control group received traditional instruction. Vocabulary tests were administered before and after treatment, with content validity confirmed by experts and reliability tested through Cronbach’s Alpha. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test in SPSS 26 at the 0.05 significance level. Results showed a significant difference between the experimental group (M = 86.92) and the control group (M = 61.40), with Sig. (2-tailed) = 0.000 < 0.05. The experimental group also achieved a higher N-Gain score (0.70) compared to the control group (0.36), indicating substantial improvement. These findings demonstrate that the Cake application effectively enhances students’ vocabulary mastery and offers meaningful insights for integrating digital tools in EFL contexts

A Pragma-semiotic analysis of selected Anglican and Catholic Sermons in Awka

2025-12-24T17:49:28+07:00

This study investigates how meaning is constructed, negotiated and communicated in the Anglican and Catholic sermons in Awka through the lens of Pragmatics and semiotics. The study adopts qualitative and quantitative descriptive research designs with data sourced from two Catholic and one Anglican churches in Awka. The data, which consist of four audio recorded Sunday sermons from St. Andrews Anglican Church, NAU; St. Joseph the Worker, NAU; and Holy Family Youth Village, Amansea were analysed using Austin and Searle’s Speech Act theory as well as Peircean semiotics theory. The analysis shows how these semiotic resources are pragmatically deployed to construct meaning, foster congregational identity and enforce doctrinal points. The research reveals how preachers from these two prominent Christian traditions strategically employ linguistic signs and symbolic resources to achieve specific communicative, persuasive and theological goals within their unique cultural and denominational contexts. Findings from the study indicate significant similarities and differences between Anglican and Catholic sermons. While both churches leverage the shared cultural semiotic reserves of the Igbo world, differences emerge in structural formality, degree of congregational participation and prioritization of doctrinal versus exhortative messaging. The pragma-semiotic analysis of the selected Anglican and Catholic sermons showed representative speech acts predominate (85.48%), follow by the directives with 12.26%; then expressives has 1.61% and interrogate showing an imparity of 0.65%. Peircean analysis reveals a mixed strategy of symbolic authority (scripture, doctrinal assertions), indexical pointing (exempla, deictics), and iconic imagery (vivid mental prompts) that together translate belief into action. This research contributes to the fields of pragmatics, discourse analysis, religious communication and sociolinguistics by highlighting the ways faith is articulated and experienced in Awka.

Improving listening comprehension of BIPA learners using authentic Indonesian media

2025-12-24T17:49:28+07:00

This study aims to investigate the efficacy of utilizing authentic Indonesian media—specifically vlogs, podcasts, and digital news—to enhance the listening comprehension of intermediate BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing) learners. The primary objective was to empirically test whether consistent exposure to natural, unscripted discourse significantly outperforms traditional textbook audio in developing crucial bottom-up and top-down processing skills. The methodology employed a rigorous quasi-experimental design involving 20 intermediate BIPA learners, purposefully selected from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The learners participated in a six-week intervention in which authentic Indonesian media were integrated into the curriculum. Data were collected via standardized pre- and post-tests, classroom observations, and a 15-item Likert-scale perception questionnaire. The findings revealed a highly statistically significant improvement in listening scores, with an overall 32% increase in comprehension (rising from a mean of 58.4 to 77.1). Lexical recognition accuracy increased by 28%, and understanding of natural speech rates grew by 35%. Qualitative data indicated that 92% of learners found authentic media more engaging than traditional textbooks. The research implications are twofold: Empirically, the study establishes that "acoustic realism" is essential for overcoming the listening plateau at the intermediate level. Conceptually, it advocates for a paradigm shift toward "Sociolinguistic Authenticity" in BIPA curriculum design, arguing that communicative competence must be grounded in the dynamic, real-life linguistic landscape of Indonesia.