JADEs Journal of Academia in English Education

The Pronunciation of English Fricative By Indonesian EFL Learners

Ahmad Wael — 2025-12-30

Bridging the Gap in Speaking: Local Folktales as a Strategy for Active Participation in EFL Education

Amriani Hambali — 2025-12-30

This study investigates the use of local folktales as a culturally responsive strategy to enhance students’ active participation and confidence in English speaking classes. The research was conducted as a one-shot descriptive case study involving 15 students from a junior high school in the Selayar Islands, Indonesia. Over five sessions, students participated in a series of folktale-based speaking activities, including discussion, retelling, word shopping, and role play. Data were collected through classroom observations, video recordings, and a perception questionnaire. The findings revealed that folktales effectively encouraged students to speak more actively, ask questions, and express opinions, particularly during discussion and role-play activities. Students reported high levels of enjoyment and motivation, attributing their increased confidence to the familiarity and moral values of the stories. Although participation was lower in retelling tasks, the overall results highlight the potential of culturally grounded materials to foster communicative engagement and reduce speaking anxiety. Despite its limited scope and duration, this study provides pedagogical insights into integrating local narratives in EFL classrooms to make learning more meaningful and culturally relevant.

The English Education Students’ Perceptions of Using Authentic Materials to Enhance Critical Thinking in the EFL Classroom

Amelia Putri Ardianti — 2025-12-30

This study explores English teachers’ perspectives on the use of authentic texts in language learning. It aims to provide a clear understanding of how teachers perceive and apply authentic texts in various classroom contexts. The research focuses on identifying teachers’ attitudes, strategies, and challenges in integrating authentic materials into teaching practices. The urgency of this research is located on the increasing demand for 21st-century education that develops students' abilities to think critically, solve problems, and apply knowledge in real-life contexts. A qualitative descriptive approach is employed, using an open-ended questionnaire as the main instrument to capture teachers’ experiences and perspectives. The collected data will be analyzed thematically to reveal patterns and key issues emerging from teachers’ responses. The findings are expected to contribute both theoretically and practically by offering insights into effective and contextual English language teaching. Furthermore, the study benefits pre-service teachers, especially seventh-semester students of English Education programs, by helping them connect theoretical knowledge with real classroom practices. Ultimately, this study seeks to bridge the gap between pedagogical theory and teaching reality in EFL classrooms.

Fluent in Many: Navigating English Learning Through Multilingual Identities

Agis Andriani — 2025-12-30

Multilingual identity awareness refers to the ability to recognize and navigate multiple language and cultural identities. Multilingual identity awareness is also closely related to differentiated learning that is in accordance with what students need. Therefore, it is very important to know what factors can influence multilingual identity awareness in learning English as a foreign language. The purpose of this study was to explore what factors can influence multilingual identity awareness in learning English as a foreign language. Data collection uses semi-structured interview and the data analysis used thematic analysis. Based on the results of data analysis, researchers found that there are several factors that can influence multilingual identity awareness in learning English as a foreign language, including educational factors, course assignments, environment, family factors, loves into language, language use, personal challenges and achievements, cultural beliefs and learners’ beliefs. The themes that include these factors include: (1) Experience; (2) Social Factors; (3) Learners’ Attitude Towards Language. Therefore, researchers conclude that in the context of multilingual identity awareness, the above factors can appear in someone who is learning English as a foreign language. The implication of this study is to provide references and knowledge for students who are studying English as a foreign language that multilingual identity is an asset, not an obstacle. For further research, it is recommended to conduct research with wider and more diverse participants, more critical data analysis and wider participant diversity.

Leveraging Gamification (Quizizz) for Enhanced Reading Comprehension Outcomes: A Quasy Experimental Investigation at Junior High School

Shafrida Wati — 2025-12-30

This study examined the effectiveness of Quizizz, a gamified digital learning platform, in enhancing students’ reading comprehension of descriptive texts at Junior high school in Langsa. Utilizing a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test, the study involved 47 ninth-grade students divided into experimental and control groups. Statistical analysis conducted with SPSS version 25 revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group's mean reading comprehension score from 48.88 in the pre-test to 64.42 in the post-test, with an average gain of 15.54, compared to the control group's smaller gain of 7.00 (pre-test mean = 46.67, post-test mean = 53.67). The independent t-test confirmed a statistically significant difference between the groups (p = 0.000 < 0.05). These results underscore that Quizizz not only improves reading comprehension outcomes but also cultivates a more engaging and student-centered instructional environment. It is recommended that educators integrate Quizizz as an innovative instructional tool to foster student engagement and optimize reading comprehension proficiency.

Assertive speech acts in Kompas.com news texts: a pragmatic Analysis

Fani Agustina Putri — 2025-12-30

This study examines assertive speech acts in Kompas.com news texts using a pragmatic approach grounded in Searle’s speech act theory. The research employs a descriptive qualitative method, with data drawn from a Kompas.com news article reporting the Jakarta floods. The data consist of clauses and sentences containing assertive speech acts, which were collected through documentation and analyzed based on their types and pragmatic functions. The findings reveal that assertive speech acts dominate the news text, appearing in various forms such as stating, reporting, explaining, and confirming. These speech acts function to deliver factual information, describe situational conditions, report official data, and reinforce the credibility of news reporting. The predominance of assertive speech acts reflects the informative nature of journalistic discourse and demonstrates how language is used to construct objectivity and social reality in online news media. This study contributes to pragmatic and discourse analysis research by providing insights into the role of assertive speech acts in shaping meaning and credibility in news reporting.

Exploring Pedagogical Representation of Visual Images in EFL Textbooks: English in Focus for Grade VII Junior High School

Cindy Febrianthy — 2025-12-31

This study aims to explore the pedagogic visual images used in the English in Focus textbook for Grade VII junior high school students and to assist teachers in critically evaluating the textbooks they utilize. The primary goal is to examine how visual images are incorporated into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks to support systematic knowledge acquisition, enhance learner motivation, and facilitate engagement and language proficiency development. The research employs a descriptive qualitative method, analyzing selected visual and verbal elements in the textbook. The instruments used include a checklist for verbal analysis based on Eggins (2004) and a framework for visual analysis derived from Van Leeuwen (2006). The data consist of 80 images, analyzed to identify representations of ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions. The findings show that the textbook effectively combines verbal and visual modes. Verbal elements emphasize relational processes to deliver clear information, declarative statements for interaction, and multiple themes for varied ideas. Visual elements rely on narrative processes, indirect gaze, long-shot perspectives, and left-right information distribution for coherence. These results underline the importance of visual literacy in EFL classes and well-designed textbooks. The English in Focus textbook meets its objectives with an organized layout and clear content, promoting learner engagement and enabling consistent evaluation across grades.

EFL Students’ Self-Efficacy in Assisting German Exchange Students in Daily Communication

Bertnego Balarama Balarama — 2025-12-31

This study explores the self-efficacy of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students in assisting German exchange students in daily communication during the Borneo Mobility Program at Universitas Katolik Santo Agustinus Hippo. Grounded in Bandura and Wood’s (2021) updated Self-Efficacy Theory, the research examines four key sources of self-efficacy: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and emotional states. Although EFL students possess formal training in English, many face difficulties in real-life intercultural interactions due to language barriers, unfamiliar accents, and cultural differences. These challenges often result in communication anxiety and diminished self-confidence. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, the study involved in-depth interviews, non-participant observations, and document analysis with seven EFL students who acted as language assistants. The findings reveal that mastery experiences, particularly previous successes in real communication tasks, play the most significant role in shaping students’ self-efficacy. Verbal encouragement from peers and mentors, as well as exposure to successful role models, also contributes meaningfully. This study concludes that fostering self-efficacy through experiential learning and institutional support can enhance students’ communicative performance. The implications suggest practical strategies for preparing EFL students for intercultural communication roles and contribute theoretically to understanding self-efficacy in informal, cross-cultural contexts.

A Systematic Library Review on the Role of English-Language Films in Enhancing Vocabulary Acquisition Among Generation Z EFL Learners

Lafifatul Hafizah — 2025-12-31

This study examines the use of English-language films as a medium for improving vocabulary acquisition among Generation Z learners in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) setting. As digital-native learners who favor visual and interactive input, Gen Z often finds conventional vocabulary instruction less engaging. Films provide authentic dialogue, contextual cues, and subtitles that support lexical retention and meaningful comprehension. Using a qualitative library-based approach, this research reviewed 10 studies published between 2015 and 2025 and analyzed them through thematic content analysis. The review highlights several recurring findings: films enhance vocabulary retention through contextual exposure, subtitles strengthen lexical awareness, and audiovisual input increases learner motivation. Subtitled films are shown to improve both receptive and productive vocabulary, especially when paired with active learning strategies such as note-taking and group work. Evidence from Indonesian EFL contexts also shows gains in lexical fluency and pragmatic ability. Overall, films offer a more engaging alternative to rote memorization and align well with Gen Z learning habits. The study recommends integrating film-based tasks into classroom practice to support communicative competence, digital literacy, and broader cultural understanding.

Exploring EFL Students of Game Based Activities in Enhancing Their Receptive Skills

Laura Maharani — 2025-12-31

This research study explores the effectiveness of game-based activities in developing the receptive skills of learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) with a focus primarily, but not exclusively, on listening and reading comprehension. In a climate of limited exposure to authentic English and generally low rates of student engagement, games offer an attractive alternative to traditional teaching.This study adopts a qualitative descriptive design, using a literature review to analyse previous empirical studies from reputable journals involving both traditional and computer-based games. The analysis revealed that traditional games such as Chain Whisper, Whisper Race and Tic Tac Toe effectively improved students’ auditory comprehension, focus and motivation. Additionally, digital games, including America’s Army, Grammarian Android, Classcraft, Quizizz and BTS Island: In the SEOM, are associated with enhanced reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and engagement of learners. The outcomes align with significant language learning theories such as Krashen’s Input Hypothesis, Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, and Self-Determination Theory; specifically, they espouse the idea that comprehension and sustained learning are optimized in contexts where enjoyment is prioritized and there is low anxiety. This study suggests that employing game-based activities in EFL teaching may lead to more meaningful, participatory, and autonomous learning that improves students’ receptive skills and interest in learning English.

Keywords: game-based learning, receptive skills, EFL learners, listening comprehension, reading comprehension.