Culture teaching in EFL classes: Teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and classroom practices

It is inevitably believed that culture teaching is the pivotal feeling of integrating culture into the teaching of a language, including in the EFL setting. This study aims to explore the English teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the reflection of their beliefs and attitudes on the teaching syllabi. The sequential explanatory mix-methods design was applied in junior high schools in Ngawi. The data were obtained from 144 English teachers’ answers to a questionnaire and interviews with six teachers. Then, the data were analysed by using descriptive statistics, the independent sample T-test, and the Mann-Whitney test. The results indicated that the majority of junior high school English teachers believed in the importance of incorporating culture into their teaching of the language taught and students’ learning process. Moreover, both state and private junior high school English teachers showed similar beliefs and attitudes related to culture teaching. When they taught English, the culture associated with that language had also been taught so that the misconception of learning the language can be minimized. The result of teachers’ practices strongly indicates that the English teachers in Ngawi had implemented the teaching of culture and inserted various cultural elements in the process of their teaching and learning in the EFL classes.

Changes in Japanese Junior High School Students' Sense of Coherence Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study of Children and Mothers

We conducted a longitudinal study to clarify the changes in the sense of coherence (SOC); that is, the ability to cope with stress successfully, of 166 Japanese junior high school students and their mothers before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we analyzed changes in SOC at three time points for all students and divided them into two groups: Group 1 included students with SOC scores that increased or maintained before and after the onset of the pandemic and Group 2 included students with decreased SOC scores after the onset of the pandemic. Second, we conducted a comparative analysis between the two groups. Overall, results indicated that student's SOC scores increased. Additionally, interpersonal stress scores were lower after the onset of the pandemic than before. There were almost no differences in family relationships, financial conditions, or personality tendencies between the two groups. However, Group 2 did not regain their sense of belonging to school. In this group, the frequency of stress experiences in club activities after the onset of the pandemic, troubles with the opposite gender, and inability to catch up with the contents of the subject lecture were high. The accumulation of small stressors may have hindered the maintenance of a sense of school affiliation. Mothers of students in Group 2 either were full-time employees at baseline or had started a new job after the onset of the pandemic. Their children may have been affected by the household's damaged financial budget and changes in mother's working styles. As COVID-19 reduced the number of days students went to school, students' SOC could have reduced had they not felt a sense of presence or belonging due to the lack of participation in club activities, school events, etc. Teachers and mothers should communicate carefully with their students and children, respectively, to develop a sense of belonging.

Non-millennial teachers’ strategies in coping with the online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

This article discusses the strategies used by five non-millennial teachers (aged 54-59 years old) of a junior high school in coping with the online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Ngawi, East Java, Indonesia. The teachers were interviewed, and the data were transcribed and analyzed by creating a data repository, expanding the codes, describing the coded data, and drawing conclusions. The results revealed that the teachers had several strategies used, which were to increase students’ interest in learning, provide students with knowledge and attention, create efficient learning resources, and use SIMPEL (Sistem Informasi Manajemen Pembelajaran or Learning Management Information System), which is specifically available only in Ngawi. SIMPEL was specially developed by the Ngawi district education office, to ensure that the learning processes in Ngawi Regency continue to run optimally during the COVID-19 outbreak. SIMPEL substituted the use of online YouTube videos and materials because the materials were already provided by the system, decreasing the need for the teachers to depend on other resources. Despite these teachers also using other online platforms, hence issues such as the slow internet connection, running out of quotas and blackouts, hindered their efforts to use these platforms at times. Hence, WAG was the most used media to conduct their online learning due to its simplicity and availability. These teachers continued to strive to learn digital technologies ever since they changed from their previous face-to-face teaching strategies.

The Characteristics of Mathematical Literacy Based on Students’ Executive Function

<p style="text-align: justify;">Literacy ability is an individual's ability to reason, formulate, solve, and interpret mathematically to solve problems related to daily life. Executive function is a cognitive aspect that has a relation with mathematical literacy. One of some aspects that affects the low mathematical literacy ability is the aspect of executive function. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of mathematical literacy based on the executive function aspects of 15 years old students. A qualitative method with a descriptive approach is employed in this study. The present research applies interview guidelines, questionnaires, and students' mathematical literacy tests as the instruments. Research subjects are junior high school students in grade VIII from two different schools. The result shows that the students' executive function influences mathematical literacy ability. Students' mathematical literacy ability is not fully achieved by fulfilling all the indicators involved. Another aspect found in the research is the low critical thinking ability impacts the achievement of mathematical literacy ability indicators.</p>

The Relationship Between Social Support And Social Withdrawal Of Left-Behind Adolescents: A Chain Mediating Model

Background: Nowadays, as more and more Chinese farmers in rural area went to city for work, they left their kids at home. These kids were left-behind adolescents and they developed without their parental accompany. The family function of left-behind adolescents was deficient, which may result in their social withdrawal in social situations. Therefore, in this study, in order to improve left-behind adolescents’ psychological and behavior problems, we aimed to investigate their level of social withdrawal and its impact factors. Method: There were 339 left-behind adolescents and 289 non-left-behind adolescents recruited from a Chinese junior high school. Their social withdrawal, social support, relative deprivation, and resilience were measured through questionnaires. Results: The results showed that compared with non-left-behind adolescents, left-behind adolescents had lower social support and resilience, but their social withdrawal and relative deprivation were higher; besides, left-behind adolescents’ social support negatively predicted social withdrawal, while relative deprivation and resilience played a chain mediating role between them. Conclusion: This study found that compared with none-left-behind adolescents, left-behind adolescents had difficulty in social adaptation. However, there was a “context-process-outcome” model in which social support negatively predicted social withdrawal, while relative deprivation and resilience played a chain mediating role between them. In sum, this study provided suggestions to promote the mental health and social behavioral development of left-behind adolescents.

Psychometric Challenges in the Measurement of Constructs Underlying Criminal Responsibility in Children and Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

At present, many countries have lowered the minimum age of criminal responsibility to deal with the trend of juvenile crime. In practical terms, whether countries advocate for lowering the age of criminal responsibility along with early puberty, or regulating the minimum age of juvenile criminal responsibility through their policies, their deep-rooted hypothesis is that age is tied to adolescents’ psychological growth, and, with the rise in age, the capacity for dialectical thinking, self-control, and empathy gradually improves. With this study, we aimed to test whether this hypothesis is valid. The participants were 3,208 students from junior high school, senior high school, and freshman in the S province of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). We subjected the gathered materials to independent-samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), linear regression analysis, and Bonferroni post hoc test. The influence of the age variable upon dialectical thinking, self-control, and empathy was significant (p = 0.002, p = 0.000, p = 0.072), but only empathy was positively correlated with age variable (B = 0.032); dialectical thinking ability (B = −0.057), and self-control ability (B = −0.212) were negatively correlated with the age variable. Bonferroni post hoc test confirmed these findings. Therefore, we concluded the following: (1) Juvenile criminal responsibility, based on the capacity for dialectical thinking, self-control, and empathy, is not positively correlated with age. (2) Age is not the only basis on which to judge a juvenile’s criminal responsibility. (3) More research that directly links age differences in brain structure and function to age differences in legally relevant capacities and capabilities(e.g., dialectical thinking, self-control, and empathy) is needed. (4) Political countries should appropriately raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility and adopt the doli incapax principle in the judicial process.

The association of social capital with depression and quality of life in school-aged children

Social capital is an important factor that affects mental health. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social capital and depression and between social capital and quality of life (QoL) in children in elementary and junior high school and to examine how this relationship differs in relevant patterns at both the individual- and school-level. The study was conducted in all elementary and junior high schools in a single municipality; the subjects consisted of 3,722 elementary school and 3,987 junior high school students (aged from 9 to 15). A multilevel linear mixed effect model analysis revealed that all three subscales of social capital were associated with depression and QoL at the individual-level: The school social capital at the individual-level showed the strongest association with depression and QoL. We also found that some of social capital at the school-level was associated with depression and QoL. An interactive effect was observed between educational stage (elementary and junior high) and some of social capital subscales. Specifically, the inverse association between school social capital and depression was stronger among the junior high students, while the positive association between school and neighborhood social capital and QoL was stronger among the elementary students. These interactions suggest that social capital impacts depression and QoL differently in elementary and junior high students. These findings suggest that the degree of association of social capital domains differs in mental health among the educational stage.

Pelatihan Pembuatan Film Animasi Menggunakan Aplikasi Toontastic 3d untuk Mendukung Minat Belajar Siswa SMP

ABSTRACT During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government implemented bold learning at various levels of education, from kindergarten to university. There is a possibility that the applied learning can result in low student interest in learning. This is because the learning process carried out only transfers recordings of learning patterns to WhatsApp text messages, so there is no other innovation to help students' interest in learning become better. As teachers we must be able to make interesting learning media according to the characteristics of students, where one of the learning media is to make animated films that students can see and do while studying at home. The purpose of this activity is to help and train junior high school teachers in making animated film learning media using the Toontastic 3D application so that it can support students' interest in learning. The method used in the implementation of this service activity is to use the method of discussion and question and answer, demo, and expository. Participants in this service activity are partners of MGMP SMP in Muaro Jambi in the field of mathematics as many as 35 teachers and 20 students. The instrument used in this service is a teacher motivation response questionnaire after training and a student interest response questionnaire after learning with learning media in the form of animated films. Based on the results of the training, it was obtained that most of the teachers who participated were very satisfied and happy with this training, this can be seen from the teacher's motivation, most of the teachers answered on average the statements given agreed and strongly agreed agree category. Furthermore, student learning interest can also be said to be good, this can be seen based on the results of the student learning interest questionnaire where the average student on a positive statement is in the agree and strongly agree category, while in the negative statement questionnaire on average are in the category of strongly disagree and disagree. . Therefore, it can be said that this training in making animated films as a learning medium can provide good motivation for teachers and good learning interest for students during the covid-19 pandemic. ABSTRAK Masa pandemic covid-19, pemerintah menerapkan pembelajaran secara daring di berbagai jenjang Pendidikan mulai dari TK sampai perguruan tinggi. Tidak menutup kemungkinan selama pembelajaran daring diterapkan dapat mengakibatkan minat belajar siswa rendah. Hal tersebut dikarenakan proses pembelajaran yang dilakukan hanya memindahkan pola pembelajaran yang dibuku ke pesan teks WhatsApp saja, sehingga tidak adanya inovasi lain untuk membantu minat belajar siswa menjadi lebih baik. Sebagai pengajar kita harus bisa membuat media pembelajaran yang menarik sesuai dengan karakteristik siswa, dimana salah satu media pembelajaran tersebut adalam pembuatan film animasi yang dapat dilihat dan di toton oleh siswa selama belajar dirumah. Tujuan kegiatan pengabdian ini adalah untuk membantu dan melatih guru SMP dalam pembuatan media pembelajaran berbentuk film animasi menggunakan aplikasi toontastic 3D sehingga dapat mendukung minat belajar siswa. Metode yang digunakan dalam pelaksanaan kegiatan pengabdian ini adalah menggunakan metode diskusi dan tanya jawab, demonstrasi, dan ekspositori. Peserta kegiatan dalam pengabdian ini adalah mitra MGMP SMP di Muaro Jambi pada matapelajaran matematika sebanyak 35 orang guru dan 20 orang siswa. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam pengabdian ini adalah angket respon motivasi guru setelah pelatihan dan angket respon minat siswa setelah belajar dengan media pembelajaran berbentuk film animasi tersebut. Berdasar hasil pelatihan diperoleh bahwa kebanyakan guru-guru yang ikut merasa sangat puas dan senang dengan adanya pelatihan ini, hal tersebut dilihat dari angket respon (motivasi) guru menunjukkan bahwa kebanyakan guru rata-rata menjawab pernyataan yang diberikan pada kategori Setuju dan Sangat Setuju. Selanjutnya minat belajar siswa juga dapat dikatakan baik, hal tersebut dilihat berdasarkan hasil angket minat belajar siswa dimana rata-rata siswa pada pernyataan positif berada pada kategori setuju dan sangar setuju, sedangkan pada angket pernyataan negatif rata-rata pada kategori sangat tidak setuju dan tidak setuju. Oleh karena itu dapat disimpulkan bahwa pelatihan pembuatan film animasi sebagai media pembelajaran ini dapat memberikan motivasi yang baik bagi guru dan minat belajar yang baik bagi siswa dimasa pandemic covid-19.

The Effect of Problem-Based Learning on Metacognitive Ability in the Conjecturing Process of Junior High School Students

This study aimed to analyze the effect of problem-based learning on metacognitive abilities in the conjecturing process of junior high school students. To reach this purpose, a mixed-methods design, which is a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, was used. The quantitative method was used to analyze the metacognitive abilities of the students’ conjecturing process, while the qualitative method was used to explore observation and interview data. The subjects of this study consisted of 60 eighth-grade students. Two learning models were compared, namely the problem-based learning model and the conventional learning model. The metacognitive abilities of students’ conjecturing process were measured by a pattern generalization problem-solving test. After collecting the data and analyzing them through the independent-samples t-test, it was revealed that the PBL had a significant effect on the metacognitive abilities of students’ conjecturing process in solving pattern generalization problems. Finally, based on the results, some conclusions and implications were suggested.

Audacity Software Analysis In Analyzing The Frequency And Character Of The Sound Spectrum

In the process of learning physics, experiments are needed that can help someone in gaining a deeper understanding of learning physics concepts and using technology in the learning process, especially learning sound waves. In this study, the aim is to be able to analyze the sound frequency with the help of Audacity software. Subjects used are 5 different cat sounds. The implementation of this research uses several tools such as a microphone, Audacity software on a laptop, and 5 cat sounds. This experiment was carried out by bringing the micro hope closer to the cat with 5 cm so that the sound was captured by the microphone which would later be transferred to the laptop and read by the audacity software. Furthermore, the data recorded in audacity were analyzed. From the results of the study, it can be said that a tool that can be used in practicum and can read and capture sound waves is effectively used in analyzing sound frequency, spectrum in the application of sound learning so that it can be used as one of the learning media in practicum on sound wave material at Junior high school.