Speaking is an essential yet challenging skill for young English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners because it requires linguistic knowledge, communicative competence, and self-confidence. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Buzz Group Technique in improving the English speaking skills of sixth-grade students at MI Ma'arif NU Miru, Lamongan, Indonesia. A quantitative pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was employed involving 18 students selected through total sampling. Data were collected using speaking performance tests assessing pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and comprehension, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, and the paired-samples t-test. The findings revealed a significant improvement in students' speaking performance, with the mean score increasing from 62.11 in the pretest to 80.06 in the posttest. The paired-samples t-test confirmed a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores (t(17) = −18.26, p < .001). All speaking components improved, with fluency showing the greatest gain. These findings indicate that the Buzz Group Technique is an effective student-centered strategy for enhancing English speaking skills and communicative competence among young EFL learners in Indonesian elementary schools.
Muhammad Afthon Ulin Nuha, K. Huda, Buyun Khulel· Jurnal Ragam Pengabdian· 0 citations
This study describes the experiences of first-year students related to academic culture silence in English language learning during their transition from high school to university. The study was carried out in the English Education Department of Islamic Darul Ulum University Lamongan, Indonesia, and involved four students (two males and two females). The results show that students experienced diverse difficulties, including contradictions in high school teacher-centered approach and university student-centered approach, extensive use of English during classes, great number of academic assignments, inability to follow lectures, and psychological obstacles like anxiety, fear of errors, low self-esteem, and social comparison. Nevertheless, the students managed to overcome the difficulties by applying different techniques such as self-study with materials and watching English videos, consulting with professors and graduate students, teamwork with peers in learning, vocabulary improvement and building self-confidence, and perception of mistakes as a natural part of the learning process. Based on the findings, it could be said that academic culture silence is not a permanent barrier, but only a transitional state, and that linguistic competence, independence, and socialization are crucial for successful adaptation. This study is important for understanding the experience of freshmen at EFL local.