Studies in Language, Education, and Culture (SeLEC)

Learner Satisfaction in BIPA Programs: A Multi-Class Survey Analysis

2026-05-07T02:00:09+00:00

Learner satisfaction plays a crucial role in evaluating the effectiveness of language programs, including Bahasa Indonesia for Foreign Speakers (BIPA). This study investigated learner satisfaction and identified factors influencing their experiences in a BIPA program conducted at the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Washington, DC. A mixed-method approach was employed with 117 learners across multiple classes. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, while qualitative responses from open-ended questions were examined through thematic analysis. Findings indicated high satisfaction regarding teaching quality and classroom interaction, whereas multimedia use and opportunities for authentic language practice required improvement. The study highlighted the importance of adaptive teaching, authentic materials, and learner-centered approaches in enhancing BIPA programs. These results offer practical implications for program development and contribute to the growing research on BIPA.

Shout It Out Loud: K-Pop Fan Chants by Seventeen's Carat and Twice's Once

2026-05-03T12:33:25+00:00

This study examines the structure, function, and symbolism of K-pop fan chants within the fandoms of SEVENTEEN (Carat) and TWICE (Once). Using a descriptive qualitative approach, the study analyzes official fan chant guides, live performance recordings, and fan-made fancam videos uploaded to YouTube. The analysis focuses on how collective chanting functions as a performative expression of fandom identity and emotional participation. The findings reveal that fan chants serve not only as forms of vocal support but also as social rituals that foster solidarity, social recognition, and collective identity among fans. Once’s cheerful chants reflect warmth and inclusivity, while Carat’s synchronized and powerful chants symbolize loyalty and unity. In addition, concert moments documented through fancams are transformed into enduring digital memories that strengthen global fandom networks and sustain emotional connections among fans across geographical boundaries. This study demonstrates that fan chants represent a dynamic interaction between voice, emotion, and social identity, transforming concert spaces into participatory communities built upon shared experiences. The findings contribute to the understanding of contemporary digital popular culture by highlighting how fan practices function as complex social rituals that shape and maintain collective identity in both physical and virtual spaces. Furthermore, this study offers insights into the strategic role of fan engagement in building and sustaining loyal global communities.

Integrating Tree Diagram Technique into Vocabulary Teaching in EFL Settings

2026-04-20T03:45:11+00:00

This study investigates the effectiveness of the Tree Diagram Technique in improving junior high school students’ mastery of basic English vocabulary in Indonesia. Vocabulary plays an essential role in language acquisition; however, many students experience difficulties in learning new words due to monotonous instructional methods. The Tree Diagram Technique, as a visual learning strategy, helps students organize vocabulary into meaningful categories, thereby supporting comprehension and memory retention. This study employed a quantitative approach using a one-group pretest–posttest design. The participants were 25 eighth-grade students of a junior high school in Bone Regency. Data were collected through a 20-item vocabulary test administered before and after the treatment. The results of the Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed a statistically significant improvement in students’ vocabulary achievement, with the mean score increasing from 51.4 in the pretest to 82.4 in the posttest (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that the Tree Diagram Technique is an effective instructional strategy for enhancing students’ vocabulary mastery in EFL classrooms. The study also contributes to EFL pedagogy by demonstrating the potential adaptation of the Tree Diagram Technique from syntactic analysis into engaging and visually organized vocabulary instruction.

An Eclectic Framework for Grammatical Instruction in Tribal Educational Settings

2026-04-20T03:53:17+00:00

This research investigation evaluates the efficacy of a novel teaching strategy by combining the “Constructivism” theory of language learning with the modern methodology known as “Principled Eclecticism” to teach tribal students the Parts of Speech (Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives). It demonstrates how this innovative method adapts well-known writing pedagogies to the unique requirements of tribal learners, thereby addressing the difficulties that students encounter due to exposure to a foreign language. The eclectic methods used include Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Contextualised Learning, and Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Forty Grade XIII students from the Government Tribal Residential High School in Top Sengattupatti, Tiruchirappalli, participated in a research study. The mixed-method research involved designing a lesson plan that incorporates constructivist principles alongside the application of principled eclecticism. This is achieved by categorising, selecting, and sequencing writing instruction exercises. To promote interaction and participation in writing tasks requiring contextualised focus, the term “principled” refers to coherence that repeatedly concentrates on the same formal or functional elements and arranges them sequentially. In summary, the study offers a viable way to enhance the teaching of parts of speech by creatively fusing constructivism with principled eclecticism.

Augmented Reality in English Language Learning: Now and Then

2026-05-16T07:32:22+00:00

Augmented Reality has shifted from being a novelty technology in English Language Learning to an established pedagogical infrastructure in fewer than two decades. This position paper This position paper argues that the field is now entering a third generation in which AR's value is no longer derived from the technology itself but from its integration with artificial intelligence, mobile ubiquity, and learner-centered task design. Using a structured narrative review combined with a Scopus bibliometric mapping of 398 documents published between 2007 and 2026, the study traces the evolution of AR-supported English learning across three periods: a foundational period (2007-2016) dominated by marker-based and barcode prototypes, a mainstreaming period (2017-2021) shaped by mobile AR and learning theory, and a convergent period (2022-2026) characterized by an explosive growth of empirical work, with two thirds of all indexed publications appearing in this most recent five-year window. The findings indicate that AR consistently produces moderate-to-large positive effects on linguistic and affective outcomes, but that effects are uneven across skills, age groups, and contexts. The paper takes the position that further research should move beyond demonstrating that AR works, and instead address how AR-enhanced English instruction should be designed, governed, and integrated with generative AI in ways that protect equity, teacher agency, and pedagogical coherence. Implications for curriculum designers, teacher educators, and policymakers in English as a Foreign Language contexts are discussed, with particular attention to low-resource settings such as Indonesia, where mobile-first AR deployment offers a credible pathway to scale immersive English instruction.