One common challenging aspect in vocabulary learning is that there are too many words to acquire while there is limited time available (Chujo & Oghigian, 2009). Determining which words are worth focusing on within class time and independent study time has always been problematic, especially for teachers (Coxhead, 2000;Vasiljevic, 2009). Therefore, vocabulary lists can serve as guidelines in the process of determining vocabulary learning goals, assessing vocabulary knowledge and growth, and designing and integrating vocabulary learning tools (Gardner & Davies, 2014). In a study involving firstyear Social Sciences students at a private university in Kanagawa, Japan, Yamamoto (2014) investigated vocabulary acquisition through deliberate vocabulary list learning and observed positive effects not only on the development of receptive vocabulary knowledge, but also on the progress of productive vocabulary knowledge as well as the depth of vocabulary knowledge overall. In another study, Bakla and Cekiç (2017) found that students who learned through a set of vocabulary lists individually outside class hours outperformed those who studied vocabulary through reading text only. Despite the skepticism that learning through vocabulary lists only promotes rote memorization, an experimental study from Mehrpour (2008) discovered that students who memorized and independently studied word lists had better performance in sentence-making tests than those who studied by using a contextualizing technique. As well, students who studied through word lists independently attained similar results to those who studied through semantic mapping (Khoii & Sharififar, 2013).

Recently, Willingness to Communicate (WTC) has been explored and proposed to be one of the key concepts for identifying when one decides to initiate communication in the target language. The attention, nonetheless, has been concentrated on how WTC interacts with other learners’ variables. This study, on the other hand, intends to offer empirical evidence on the direct roles of affective variables (self-confidence, anxiety, motivation, and grit) and WTC variables (WTC inside the classroom, WTC outside the classroom, and WTC in a digital setting) in Thai students’ English-speaking performance. The data were obtained from 35 undergraduate students (17.1% males; 82.9% females) using a survey questionnaire. Then, a speaking test was taken from an English Communication Skills course and was analysed using correlation and hierarchical regression. The results disclosed positive correlations among self-confidence, motivation, grit, WTC in a digital setting, WTC inside the classroom, WTC outside the classroom, and speaking performance, and negative correlations among self-confidence, anxiety, and grit. However, motivation was the only significant predictor of speaking performance. The findings offer some implications for English teachers in improving students’ English-speaking performance.

The complexity of foreign language learning and its restricted time to learn in the classroom need proactive efforts from the English students outside the classroom with full initiative and effort. This study tended to investigate to what extent students’ autonomous learning activities outside the classroom to master English (four English skills). This study applied a descriptive quantitative design. It was conducted at a state university in Majene, West Sulawesi, Indonesia in the academic year 2021/2022. The population was English education students in the second and third years. There were 62 students who participated in this research. They were selected by using a convenience sampling technique. To gain the data, this research employed a questionnaire as a research instrument which consists of 16 items of statements. The data, then, were analyzed by employing descriptive statistics. Based on the data analysis, it was found that students’ autonomous learning activities outside the classroom are still limited to activities that are entertaining for them.  Apart from that, it has not been found that their extra efforts are done independently to become more proficient in every English skill. This indicates that students are still passive learners. By knowing the independent learning efforts carried out by students out of the classroom, English lecturers are expected to be able to design policies or teaching strategies to guide students so that they can increase their efforts by optimizing the wealth of available independent learning resources.

A plethora of studies has examined EFL learners’ attitudes towards and perceptions of English pronunciation, yet little has been discussed about the influence of religious backgrounds on one’s pronunciation abilities, especially in the Thai context. This study aims to extend the research area by studying Buddhist and Muslim EFL learners’ attitudes and perspectives about their English pronunciation abilities in Thailand. Using a mixed-method design, it collected survey data from 60 undergraduate students (50% Buddhist, 50% Muslim) at a university in south Thailand. An English pronunciation test was conducted to gather data on the students’ English pronunciation performances. The quantitative findings revealed that Buddhist and Muslim Thai EFL learners possessed moderate levels of attitudes towards their English pronunciation and perceived indirect influences of their religion on their English pronunciation. Although the learners’ attitudes and perceptions were connected, they were not significant predictors of their actual English pronunciation. Religion and gender had no direct impact on the learners’ attitudes; however, their frequent religious practices have led to the awareness that students from some religious backgrounds can have an advantage in pronouncing some English sounds, letters, or words over their friends with a different religion. The results of this research also suggest that there is much more to be learned about the effects and contributions of religious backgrounds on learners’ English pronunciation among learners.

Penelitian ini menganalisis implementasi Kebijakan Perdagangan Manusia (Peraturan Daerah No.6, 2011) di Parepare, Sulawesi Selatan Indonesia. Ada beberapa kasus perdagangan manusia di seluruh provinsi dengan modus operandi yang beragam. Kasus-kasus perdagangan pada umumnya berawal dari modus sebagai tenaga kerja migran ke Malaysia. Para korban adalah gadis-gadis muda yang berasal dari status sosial ekonomi rendah. Focus Group Discussion dilakukan untuk mengetahui kesiapan para pemangku kebijakan yang terkait dalam mengimplementasikan Kebijakan Perdagangan Manusia di Parepare. Pemerintah Daerah Parepare (SKPD) sadar akan Kebijakan Perdagangan Manusia dan mereka telah bekerja sama dengan departemen tenaga kerja, universitas setempat, sekolah, Lembaga Swadaya Masyarakat (LSM) untuk mengadvokasi dan mendidik masyarakat lokal, terutama anak perempuan untuk mencegah lebih banyak korban perdagangan manusia di Parepare, Sulawesi Selatan.