Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics

Emotional Dynamics and Regulation Strategies in EFL Writing Classrooms

Ariyanti Ariyanti — 2026-05-01

Recent research in second language acquisition has shown that learners’ emotional dynamics such as anxiety, enjoyment, and frustration, and their use of emotion regulation strategies significantly influence engagement and performance in EFL writing classrooms. Thus, the current research aims at investigating EFL students’ emotional dynamics and the emotion regulation strategies they apply when completing their writing tasks. This is a phenomenological study in which six university students were given an open-ended questionnaire. Subsequently, the data were analysed using a thematic analysis technique until the data were formed into themes and a conceptual framework illustrating the types of emotional dynamics they faced and what strategies of emotion regulation they commonly applied during the process of writing. The novel finding revealed after building themes was from the up and down or emotional fluctuation, e.g., anxious to enjoyment, fear to relax, shaped the students to have a mental of resilience as a learner. Finally, the pedagogical implications of the research were explained further.

Designing A Speaking Test for Special Purposes (SP) in Hiring Experts for a Company

Md. Abdus Salam — 2026-05-01

Designing speaking tests for special purposes involves contentious debates regarding specific contexts, company goals, and learner requirements, and hence, requires further research. This article designs a speaking test for the specific purpose of recruiting company professionals. At present, multinational companies around the globe are evolving day by day, and their sister concerns are getting diverse perspectives. The research objective of this article is to design a speaking test. This study requires finding an answer to the research question: how to design a valid and reliable speaking test for recruiting company professionals? This study applied a qualitative data analysis approach to find an answer to the research question, in which research articles, books, periodicals, and magazines were treated as secondary, and the speaking test design was primary data. This study finds that multiple challenges are present in designing a speaking test, keeping in mind the reliability and validity of the tests, like test-time, assessment-criteria, validity, and reliability. The findings of this article will be helpful and have positive impacts for the examinees as well as the employers. Observing the necessities, this study recommends further research for designing a speaking test, keeping real-world relevance in all contexts.

Recognition Memory of Vocabulary (RMV) and Reading Comprehension for EFL Learners in A Pesantren-Based Junior Secondary School

Hari Prastyo — 2026-05-01

This research investigates the correlation between recognition memory of vocabulary (RMV) and reading comprehension among eighth-grade English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners at MTs Favorit Darut Taqwa Dlanggu, Indonesia. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design combining quantitative correlational analysis and qualitative descriptive inquiry, the study engaged 28 participants selected through purposive sampling based on their educational level and prior learning experiences. Data collection was executed through two distinct instruments: a vocabulary recognition memory assessment comprising multiple-choice questions and a reading comprehension evaluation. The findings indicated a statistically significant and exceptionally strong positive correlation between vocabulary recognition memory and reading comprehension (r = 0.976, p < 0.01), thereby illustrating a robust connection between learners’ capacity to recognize previously acquired vocabulary and their performance in comprehension tasks. Nonetheless, the results also imply that vocabulary recognition in isolation does not comprehensively account for reading comprehension, as various reading strategies, including skimming, scanning, and inference-making, were also integral to the students’ comprehension processes. This study underscores the pedagogical significance of amalgamating contextualized vocabulary instruction with explicit training in reading strategies and differentiated instructional methods. The implications of these findings offer valuable pedagogical insights aimed at enhancing English literacy instruction within EFL environments, particularly in Pesantren-based educational institutions.

Women’s Language Features and Narcissistic Self-Presentation: A Sociopragmatic Analysis of Q&A Interactions in Gus Iqdam’s Religious Forum

Rosita Ambarwati — 2026-05-01

This study examines women’s language features and micro-narcissistic self-presentation in digitally mediated religious discourse, focusing on question-and-answer (Q&A) interactions in the online “Pengajian Sabilu Taubah” led by Gus Iqdam. Adopting a qualitative descriptive design with a sociopragmatic orientation, the study aims to explore how female participants use language to negotiate emotion, politeness, authority, and self-visibility in a publicly streamed religious forum. The data were drawn from five publicly accessible livestream recordings and were selected through purposive sampling based on the presence of direct interaction with female participants, extended utterances, and adequate audio-visual quality. Three women participants were analyzed as primary data sources, while two additional participants were used for confirmatory analysis. The primary research instrument was detailed discourse transcription, including lexical, prosodic, and paralinguistic features. Data analysis followed a theory-driven qualitative content analysis guided by Lakoff’s framework of women’s language and Pearson’s functional classification, with data validation ensured through triangulation and confirmatory analysis. The findings show that women’s language in the Q&A sessions is characterized by expressive-affective features, mitigation strategies, and response-oriented utterances that function to elicit recognition and maintain politeness toward religious authority. Furthermore, micro-narcissistic self-presentation is realized through subtle and socially acceptable linguistic practices, such as admiration-seeking expressions and self-referential narratives, rather than overt self-promotion. This study contributes to sociopragmatic and gender-based discourse research by highlighting women’s linguistic agency in digital religious interaction and by conceptualizing micro-narcissism as an interactional phenomenon shaped by religious norms and public visibility.

The Merits and Challenges of Flipped English Grammar Learning Among Indonesian First-Year Undergraduate Non-ELT Students

Arif Husein Lubis — 2026-05-01

Flipped learning has been considered a catalyst for teaching English grammar since it promotes active learning and higher-order thinking skills. Despite this potential, its implementation process in non-ELT classrooms has not received ample attention. This study seeks to examine the merits and challenges of implementing flipped learning in a grammar class for Indonesian first-year undergraduate non-ELT students majoring in Korean Language Education in an online learning environment. The students were divided into two groups (experimental group=35 students and control group=35 students). Using a quantitative and qualitative design, two grammar tests (pre- and post-tests) were administered to measure the effect of implementing flipped learning. A questionnaire was distributed to the students afterward, followed by interview sessions. While the quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 23, the qualitative data were examined using an inductive thematic approach. The results showed that the implementation of the flipped learning approach could significantly enhance the students’ grammar skills. In addition, the students perceived that flipped learning could elevate learning motivation, foster learner autonomy, and raise learning awareness. However, lower motivation, an unconducive home environment during asynchronous sessions, and unstable internet bandwidth were the main challenges experienced by some students.

From Normative to Empathetic Evaluation: Reconfiguring Appraisal in Indonesian Advertising Discourse

Robith Khoiril Umam — 2026-05-15

Public advertisements are often not just highlighting the benefits or advantages of a product or service. They also serve as a source for sharing values, ideologies and hierarchical relationship patterns between producers and users. This study aims to examine evaluative language in Indonesian advertisements across decades using appraisal theory. The focus of the study is on comparing advertisements from the 1990s and contemporary digital advertisements, using data drawn from printed advertisements from the 1990s and recent digital advertisements representing Indonesian child-nutrition and food advertising discourse. Data were collected from printed advertising materials, YouTube, and Instagram captions that were transcribed validly, then analysed qualitatively by using appraisal theory. The results of the analysis show a significant shift in appraisal patterns. Advertisements in the 1990s were dominated by normative and collective affect, hierarchical judgement of the role of mothers, and symbolic appreciation that emphasised achievement and obedience as indicators of a child's success. In contrast, current digital advertisements employ reflective psychological affect, more empathetic and implicit judgements, and evidential appreciation supported by nutritional data and emotional metaphors. The use of graduation is also increasingly intensive to emphasise the progress and long-term impact of the product. These findings suggest that changes in advertising language not only reflect shifts in marketing strategies but also indicate changing ways in which parenting and child development are discursively framed in Indonesian advertising. The study provides an empirical mapping of diachronic shifts in evaluative language in Indonesian advertising context, from a normative and collective pattern toward a more reflective and empathetic evaluative orientation within the appraisal framework.

Muslim Conversion Narratives in Digital Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Belal Chin’s YouTube Testimony

Tri Rina Budiwati — 2026-05-15

This research examines the narrative of Muslim conversion through critical discourse analysis. The objective of this study is to analyze a YouTube video entitled “I don't care if I die! I have to become Muslim!”- British Rapper inspiring convert Story!” by using critical discourse analysis of Teun A. van Dijk’s model. The study focuses on the textual analysis, social cognition, and social context of the video. This research is categorized as descriptive qualitative research. The data of this research are the words and sentences of Ashley Belal Chin. The classified data is then analyzed using Van Dijk's three-dimensional concept. The results of this study indicate that the story in the video has three structural dimensions, namely textual analysis, social cognition, and social context. The results of the text include microstructure that focuses on semantic elements (background, detail, meaning, presupposition, and nominalization), superstructure that is coherent from the beginning to the end of the video because each segment is a procession of converts that are interconnected, and macrostructure, which concludes that the theme of the video is the spirit of becoming a Muslim. Furthermore, social cognition shows the existence of schemes and memories that describe the speaker's background when delivering discourse to the audience. Social context refers to the way discourse evolves within society, considering social structures from the perspectives of power and access. Overall, the study provides insights into how digital media articulates and circulates narratives of Muslim conversion.

The Impact of Dialogic Approach on ESP University Students’ Speaking Anxiety and Emotional Well-being

Insaf Khoudri — 2026-05-15

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the dialogic teaching approach in enhancing the emotional well-being and reducing the speaking anxiety of EFL university learners of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). To achieve the objectives of this study, the study was conducted on two groups of undergraduate students from the Department of Management Technique at the High School of Technology in Meknes, Morocco. To collect data, a quasi-experimental research design was adopted, combining a non-equivalent group design with a pretest and a posttest design. To analyze data, SPSS was used to employ two tests. A t-test for within-group comparisons before and after the intervention, and an independent sample test for between-group comparisons pre- and post-intervention. Drawing on the findings, the dialogic approach was successful in enhancing ESP learners’ speaking skills, reducing their speaking anxiety, and improving their emotional well-being, in contrast to the control group, which continued with traditional lectures and did not receive any intervention. Hence, the study implies that developing students’ public speaking skills and using interactive teaching methods becomes a requirement to alleviate students’ speaking anxiety while increasing students’ emotional well-being