Early-Career Teachers’ Self-Reported Challenges in Implementing Content and Language Integrated Learning in Indonesian Elementary Schools

Early­Career Teachers’ Self­Reported Challenges in Implementing Content and Language Integrated Learning in Indonesian Elementary Schools

Omani English Teachers’ Perspectives on Implementing Communicative Language Teaching in Post-Basic Schools: A Case Study

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been widely promoted as an approach emphasizing communicative competence and purposeful language use. Despite its prominence in English language education, a persistent gap exists between teachers' awareness and classroom implementation of CLT principles, particularly in non-native contexts such as Oman. While previous studies have quantified teacher awareness, limited qualitative research has explored how teachers interpret and adapt CLT within their specific classroom contexts. This qualitative case study investigated how six Omani English teachers in government post-basic schools (Grades 11–12) conceptualised and interpreted CLT within their classroom contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using the Codes–Categories–Themes (CO–CAT) framework to identify patterns in teachers' perspectives. Teachers associated effective implementation of CLT with supportive classroom environments that foster confidence and communication. Teachers also viewed CLT as context-dependent, influenced by learner proficiency, lesson focus, instructional time, and classroom conditions, resulting in selective and adaptive implementation practices. Teachers conceptualised CLT not simply as a collection of communicative techniques, but as a set of interconnected conditions that support classroom communication, including learner participation, authentic language use, emotional support, and contextual adaptation. The study contributes to understanding the theory–practice gap as a process of professional judgement rather than a failure of implementation. The findings may inform teacher professional development, curriculum implementation, and communicative language teaching practices in Oman and similar EFL contexts.

Integrating communicative language teaching into elementary English curriculum: A framework for multidimensional competency development

This study examines the implementation of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in elementary school contexts to enhance students’ communicative competence. The study addresses the gap between theoretical assumptions of CLT and its practical application in classrooms, particularly within the Indonesian educational setting. The objective of this research is to analyze how CLT strategies are applied and to evaluate their impact on students’ speaking skills and classroom interaction. A qualitative research design was employed, involving classroom observations, interviews with teachers, and document analysis. The findings indicate that the use of communicative activities such as role play, group discussions, and interactive tasks significantly improves students’ confidence and ability to communicate in English. However, several challenges were identified, including limited teacher proficiency, lack of instructional resources, and constraints related to traditional teaching practices. The study concludes that CLT is an effective approach for promoting active learning and communicative competence in elementary education. Its successful implementation requires adequate teacher training and contextual adaptation. These findings contribute to the development of more effective language teaching practices in primary education. Keywords: communicative competence; communicative language teaching; elementary education; speaking skills

From Professional Learning to Classroom Practice: Teaching Strategies of Non-Specialist English Teachers in a Vocational School Context

The increasing reliance on non-specialist English teachers in various educational settings has raised concerns regarding instructional quality and classroom effectiveness. Professional development (PD) has been widely recognized as a key mechanism for supporting teachers who teach outside their field of expertise. This study investigates how professional development shapes the teaching strategies of non-specialist English teachers at Sekolah Indonesia Kota Kinabalu (SIKK), an Indonesian overseas school in Malaysia. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach with a narrative inquiry design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis involving non-specialist English teachers. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns in teachers’ instructional practices and the influence of professional learning experiences on classroom implementation. The findings reveal that professional development, primarily through self-directed learning, peer collaboration, and participation in external workshops, contributed to the diversification and adaptation of teaching strategies. Teachers demonstrated the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PBL), differentiated instruction, Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), role-play activities, gamification techniques, and Simple Jigsaw strategies to address students’ vocational learning needs. Professional development also encouraged teachers to integrate more student-centered approaches, contextualized learning activities, and interactive classroom practices. These instructional transformations enabled teachers to move beyond traditional textbook-oriented instruction and create more engaging learning environments. The study concludes that sustained and collaborative professional development plays a significant role in enhancing the pedagogical capacity of non-specialist English teachers and supports the effective adaptation of teaching strategies in vocational English classrooms. The findings contribute to the growing body of literature on out-of-field teaching and highlight the importance of providing continuous professional learning opportunities for non-specialist educators.

TEACHING ENGLISH PRACTICES FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PACITAN

This study aims to describe English language teaching practices in elementary schools in Pacitan Regency, the challenges faced by teachers, and the methods applied in teaching and learning activities. This study employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive design. The research subjects consisted of four fifth-grade English teachers from four elementary schools selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected through observation, semi-structured interviews, and documentation, and were subsequently analyzed using Creswell’s interactive analysis model. The findings of this study indicate that English language teaching practices across the schools share similarities and differences in the selection of materials, media used, strategies, and implementation methods, all of which are tailored to the students’ characteristics and the school environment. Teachers still face challenges related to their own competencies, students’ English proficiency, classroom management, and limited educational facilities. To overcome these obstacles, teachers employ various strategies, particularly Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), Inquiry-Based Learning, and Total Physical Response (TPR), which are integrated with a variety of learning activities. This study confirms that success in teaching English is influenced by teachers’ ability to adapt teaching strategies to students’ needs and school conditions.

IMPLEMENTING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING (PjBL) TO ENHANCE SPEAKING SKILLS: TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

The problem discussed in this study arises from the poor oral performance of junior high school students in learning the English language. Students often lack self-confidence, possess narrow vocabularies, and encounter limited opportunities for meaningful communicative practice. Project-Based Learning (PjBL) is recognized as an effective approach to actively engage students in contextual language use. This study aims to investigate English teachers' perspectives regarding the implementation of PjBL to enhance students' speaking skills at the junior high school level. A qualitative descriptive research design was employed. The participants were two English teachers at SMPN 1 Garut who actively implemented PjBL in their speaking classes. Data were gathered through semi-structured in-depth interviews and documentation, then analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that teachers perceive PjBL as an effective strategy for developing students' confidence, fluency, and collaborative skills in oral communication. Nevertheless, teachers faced notable challenges, including instructional time constraints, student proficiency gaps, and complex project planning demands. In conclusion, PjBL implementation holds significant potential for fostering students' speaking competence when supported by thorough instructional design, scaffolded tasks, and adaptive classroom management. ABSTRAK Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh rendahnya keterampilan berbicara (speaking) siswa sekolah menengah pertama dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris, yang ditandai dengan kurangnya kepercayaan diri, keterbatasan kosakata, serta minimnya kesempatan untuk praktik komunikasi bermakna di kelas. Project-Based Learning (PjBL) dipandang sebagai salah satu pendekatan yang mampu mendorong partisipasi aktif dan penggunaan bahasa secara kontekstual. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi perspektif guru terhadap pengimplementasian PjBL dalam meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara siswa di jenjang SMP. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan desain studi deskriptif. Subjek penelitian adalah dua orang guru bahasa Inggris SMPN 1 Garut yang menerapkan PjBL dalam pembelajaran speaking. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara mendalam terstruktur dan dokumentasi, kemudian dianalisis menggunakan teknik analisis tematik. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa guru memandang PjBL sebagai strategi yang efektif untuk meningkatkan keberanian, kelancaran, serta kolaborasi siswa dalam berbicara bahasa Inggris. Namun demikian, guru juga menghadapi beberapa tantangan, seperti keterbatasan waktu, perbedaan kemampuan siswa, dan kesiapan perencanaan proyek. Secara keseluruhan, dapat disimpulkan bahwa implementasi PjBL berpotensi meningkatkan keterampilan speaking siswa apabila didukung oleh perencanaan yang matang, scaffolding berjenjang, dan pengelolaan kelas yang efektif.