This study aimed to chart out the effects of teaching reading using Know-Want-Learned (KWL) strategy of Blachowicz and Ogle. This study employed quantitative method by having one pre-test and posttest research design, conducted at SMPN 2 Kejuruan Muda, Aceh Tamiang District, with a total sample of 26 students. The test was analyzed by using t-test.  The study revealed that there was an improvement from the pre-test to the posttest and that the teacher had implemented KWL strategy accordingly so that the students improved their reading comprehension skill. In addition, KWL is one of the basic strategies developed to know the extent of learners’ ability and the way they commit it on their own. Thus, the strategy itself has an effect to trigger the students to be autonomous learners. However, it is suggested that the teachers modify some steps in the KWL procedures to eventually motivate the students in learning reading.

This study is intended to find out the influence of the teacher's competence towards the motivation of students in learning English

Comprehensive teaching-learning about speaking evaluation, especially peer evaluation, is conspicuous by its absence in English Foreign Language (EFL) Speaking classes at all secondary and tertiary levels in Indonesia, especially in Aceh, This comparative research study looks at the various aspects used for evaluation and especially looks at peer evaluation in EFL speaking classes in Aceh. The paper describes twenty three (23) components recommended for evaluation of speaking communications: the seen, the spoken and the script (content) components. The results showed that teachers of EFL speaking are not using and are not even taught such detailed evaluation systems. Moreover the syllabi for speaking English at upper secondary level are severely lacking as are those used in tertiary courses. Educators need to learn from the Toastmasters International systems for evaluation and for making evaluation speeches, in particular the need to prioritise praise in evaluation with only a pointer or two on how to improve the next speech. This paper includes a simplified format for peer evaluations that students can easily be taught to use and also stresses the need for praise, not punishment, for successful evaluation. Teachers of Speaking English EFL, who practice the recommendations from this paper, should get much better results from their students.

Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study was to find out whether there is any significant difference between the students who are trained through reflective journal writing and those who are not trained through reflective journal writing. It also wanted to know students’ responses toward reflective journal writing the implementation. Methodology: The methodology of this study is an experimental research which used a quasi-experimental design. Quasi-experimental research is used to know the differences between classes that are given training and classes that are not given. The research design used in this study is the non-equivalent control group design. In this research, there were two classes taken as samples, namely experimental group and control group which consisted of 30 students of each group. The author used tests (pre-test and post-test) and questionnaire as the instruments to collect the data. The quantitative data was obtained from the result of pre-test and post-test scores of students’ writing in experimental and control groups. Then both scores were analysed through the SPSS program to calculate t-test. Main Findings: The findings of the research showed that the mean score of post-test of the experimental group 76.73 is higher than the mean score of control class 63.10. Furthermore, the result of p-value obtained from the post-test of the experimental and control group was 0.00 is less than the level of significance degree α = 0.05. In other words, there was a significant difference between the students who were trained through reflective journal writing and those who were not trained through reflective journal writing. Applications of this study: The implications related to this study the authors suggest to use Reflective Journal Writing Strategy to help students to be critical thinking writers and for the next researcher to use this strategy in other kinds of texts. Teachers are suggested to use this strategy to teach writing skills for other aspects of writing. Novelty/Originality of this study: This strategy has never been used by English teachers in South Aceh and it can contribute to the teachers to use this strategy in teaching writing, especially for senior high school students. In conclusion, the use of Reflective Journal improved students’ writing skill, especially in writing recount text of senior high schools first-grade students in South Aceh.

Speaking skill is one of the basic language skills that has important role for oral communication. This study attempts to find out whether the implementation of Problem Based Learning (PBL) could enhance the students’ speaking skill at Darul Ulum Islamic Boarding, Banda Aceh. The population of this study was the students from the second grade of students at Senior High School Darul Ulum Islamic Boarding, Banda Aceh. The sample of this study was the students in class II-IPA I as experimental group and class II-IPA II as control group. Through the quantitative method, the writer analysed the data by means of t-test.The result shows that there was a significant difference in the students’ speaking skill taught by implementing Problem Based Learning.The students’ mean of pre-test’s score was 51.64. Then in post-test, the mean score of the students was 63.64. In other words, Problem Based Learning has successfully enhanced speaking skill of the II-IPA I students. Therefore, Problem Based Learning may be one of the appropriate teaching methods to improve students’ English-speaking ability as it gives a chance for students to relate themselves with real-life issues that require real-life solutions.