<span>Leadership is one of the essential factors that can influence community involvement in realizing the character of male and female students in the <em>pesantren</em> (Islamic boarding schools) in Jambi, Indonesia<em>.</em> This study proposed <em>Nyai’s </em></span><span>(female religious leaders in the<em> pesantren</em>) charismatic, economic, and social responsibility leadership models in the context of community empowerment (CE). This quantitative research aimed to determine the contribution of <em>Nyai’s</em> leadership models to CE. The data from the questionnaire were analyzed using path and flowchart analysis. The results showed that the three <em>Nyai</em>’s leadership models in this study influenced and contributed to CE to support the <em>pesantren</em>’<em>s</em> activities and programs. This study recommended adopting the three <em>Nyai’s</em> leadership models in empowering the community in the <em>pesantren</em>.</span>

This article aimed of investigating the causes of students’ speaking anxiety at a Private Junior High School at Salatiga, Central Java. The method used case study. This study used a set of questionnaires distributed to sixty-six participants from grade 7 to grade 9. The participants were asked to choose the causes of their speaking anxiety offered in the questionnaire items according to their personal opinions. The questionnaire items were developed based on the literature used in this study. After that, the quantitative data were presented and then the data were described and interpreted. The results of this study revealed that the major factor contributing to the participants’ speaking anxiety was the concern about accuracy and grammar. Interestingly, the quantitative data of this study showed that a significant number of participants were less anxious especially when dealing with classroom settings and activities, and teachers. The result of the study was expected to contribute to student teachers and language teachers in general. This study helped them to be aware that speaking anxiety may exist among EFL students, hence they could develop their teaching methods and approaches in teaching speaking to minimize their students’ anxiety and to give more exposure to English for their students. Keywords: Speaking Anxiety, Factor Contributing Speaking, English Language Learning

The multicultural approach plays a vital role in learning religious education in order to recognize the diversity that exists, especially in conflict-prone zone schools. This study aims to describe a multicultural approach in learning religious education in conflict-prone zones. Through exercising Garfinkel’s ethnomethodology analysis, this qualitative research was conducted at SMAN 2 Pasaman and SMAN 1 Luhak Nan Duo senior high schools within conflict-prone zones of West Pasaman, West Sumatra. The dynamics of school philosophy towards inclusive multicultural approaches in religious education for schools in conflict-prone zones indicated that academic culture within said schools must be capable of creating a more harmonious atmosphere among ethnic diversities, mainly that of Javanese, Minangkabaunese, and Bataknese. The application of multicultural approaches in religious education for such schools in conflict-prone zones showed that the planning, implementation, and evaluation of religious education must be carried out while simultaneously considering the diversity of these ethnicities. The employment of an inclusive multicultural approach in association with schools in conflict-prone zones showed that the school’s physical environment is strategic for the interaction of various ethnicities, such as with Javanese, Minang, and Batak ethnicities at SMAN 2 Pasaman and SMAN 1 Luhak Nan Duo. This research is useful as input in making and improving policies by schools and the government regarding the implementation of religious education with a multicultural approach in conflict-prone zone schools.

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), a methodology for teaching and learning content via a foreign language, has become a promising method for developing critical reading material and fostering students' analytical thinking and reasoning abilities in higher education. Numerous studies have examined the development of critical reading teaching materials, yet only some have focused on developing and implementing CLIL-based strategies in higher education. Therefore, this article explores the perceptions of English students and lecturers on implementing CLIL-based principles with interactive multimedia in developing critical reading material in higher education. The study collected data from students and teachers through questionnaires using a descriptive quantitative method. The closed-ended responses were analyzed by frequency and proportion, and compared between groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. Open-ended responses were categorized and analyzed through a matrix checklist to study a key variable or topic of public interest. The findings showed that most students believed that CLIL-based critical reading material using interactive multimedia enhanced their analytical thinking and reasoning abilities concerning the subject content. They also believed their learning outcomes would improve. All lecturers believed that the need for CLIL-based critical reading material employing the integration of interactive multimedia is essential, especially in an online learning setting. Furthermore, the lectures stated that engaging with critical reading material using interactive multimedia in the classroom increased the students’ motivation, promoting interaction among students and developing essential logical and cognitive competencies. Overall, the student and lecturer groups corroborated the need to further implement CLIL-based critical reading material development by using interactive multimedia in higher education.

Adhering to a structured process of the flow of given to new topic information within academic written discourse is a significant challenge for most tertiary-level non-native EFL students. The progression of given to new topic information in written academic text is equally difficult for many non-native academic English writing teachers to distinguish, much less assess. This research seeks to determine if given to new information progression can be significantly identified, and explore the possibility of such topic progression being utilized as a practical form of academic writing assessment by experienced Thai tertiary teachers of academic English. Multiple Linear Regression was employed to determine the relationship between the Thai writing teachers' identification of the flow of given to new topic information and a preliminary analysis of topic information flow by a qualified native English writing teacher. The insights gained from this study show that the Thai academic English writing teachers could not significantly detect the presence of given to new topic information progression within the academic texts. The implication of this research suggests that at this time, the practical utilization of a given to new progression analysis may not be a feasible evaluative measure in written assessments for Thai academic English writing teachers.