Yunisrina Qismullah Yusuf

The Policy Outcomes and Feasibility of School-Based Management in Aceh

This research investigates the policy outcomes and feasibility of school-based management (SBM) in Aceh, Indonesia. This was done by identifying the constraints encountered in its implementation. A total of 520 respondents were surveyed; they came from different schools, elementary, junior high and high schools, and from various ranks of the provincial and district departments of education in Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar, Pidie and Lhokseumawe. Data was collected through a qualitative approach by using a semi-structured interview. In assessing the data, the constraints put forward by the respondents were categorized based on the four resources that are essential for SBM performance improvement, namely ＂power, knowledge, information and rewards＂ (Wohlstetter & Mohrman, 1994). The findings showed that most of the constraints identified in SBM implementation were related to the resource of power, such as in decentralization/ autonomy, decision making and leadership. This study also found that no formal written policy regarding the implementation of SBM as a component of national education policy was available at either the provincial or district departments of education. This study suggests that these authorities should demonstrate their commitment to the implementation of SBM in Aceh by issuing written policies to start to resolve the constraints faced in such implementation.

Acehnese Teachers Teaching English to Rohingya Refugees: Process and Cultural Barriers:

Rohingya people being sheltered in East Aceh, Indonesia, are taught English to prepare them for their future resettlement in Western countries; these countries are as determined by the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Rohingya are taught English by local Acehnese mentors at UNHCR refugee camps. This research was designed to study the classroom environment, teaching processes, and cultural barriers between mentors and refugees. Data were collected at one UNHCR camp in East Aceh using three instruments: classroom observation, video recordings, and interviews with six mentors and 30 refugees taking part in the course. The data were analyzed qualitatively based on Prosser and Loxley, and Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. This article provides a detailed discussion of the research findings. It is hoped that this research will be a starting point for further investigation into effective teaching process to overcome cultural barriers, not just in Aceh, but in other places that provide temporary shelter for Rohingya refugees.

Exploring the Motivational Factors for Learning English in Aceh = العوامل المؤثرة في تعلم اللغة الإنجليزية في إقليم أتشية

This study investigated the motivational factors of tertiary students for learning English in Aceh, Indonesia. It further examined the year of study and urban/rural provenance influences on their levels of motivation. Approximately 56 university students participated in this research. The research instrument was a closed-ended questionnaire consisting of 10 items adapted from the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (Smythe & Gardner, 1981). Three types of motivation were measured: intrinsic, extrinsic/instrumental and integrative (Noels, 2003). The findings showed that integrative motivation/international posture was the popular motive for learning English (M=5.369), followed by intrinsic (M=4.991) and extrinsic/instrumental motivations (M=4.732). This indicated that English was learned in order to converse and associate with foreigners from other countries who speak English. We further presume that this may have also been triggered by the increasing number of foreigners who are entering Aceh either for work or tourism after the earthquake and tsunami disaster which struck the province in 2004 and “opened” to the world the previously “closed” province due to political conflicts. Therefore, the year of study and the areas in which they came from did not affect their levels of motivation as both showed no significant differences between these variables.

LOOKING INTO THE EFL STUDENTS TYPE OF FEEDBACKS ON PEER CORRECTION ACTIVITY

This research studies the types of feedbacks made by EFL students in a writing class. A number of 25 students essays were collected and analysed. The results revealed that a number of 61 responding feedbacks were found in the types of support, sharing knowledge, negotiation, appreciation and criticism. Meanwhile, 142 correcting feedbacks were found in the types of coded, uncoded, a combination of coded and uncoded and direct answer. The type most used in responding feedback was support, which indicates that it is an important pursuit in these students learning to drive each other into improving their writing skills with confidence. Whilst the least used was criticism, and this indicates that it was not considerably favoured to be given in the peer correction feedbacks since they restrain encouragement and cause social anxiety. The type most used in correcting feedbacks was a combination of coded and uncoded. This signifies that to provide both mark and symbol on an error can avoid confusion between the student corrector and the student writer. The least used was direct answer, which signified that it was only done by students who had high English proficiency and confidence to provide the correct answer directly on the errors.