The Challenges of Language Learning of the Study-Abroad Students of English Language Department of Islamic Higher Education in Kalimantan

Abstract

<jats:p>The purpose of this study is to uncover: 1) How foreign students believe in learning English at Islamic higher education in Kalimantan, 2) The experience of foreign students in learning English at Islamic higher education in Kalimantan, 3) The challenges of foreign students in learning English at Islamic higher education in Kalimantan. This qualitative phenomenological research was to disclose the phenomenon of the entry of foreign students to Kalimantan. The main participants of the study were foreign students and English lecturers of state Islamic institute of Samarinda, state Islamic institute of Palangkaraya, and state Islamic university of Antasari. Meanwhile, the secondary participants of the study were foreign students and English lecturers from the state Islamic institute of Pontianak. The instruments were interviews, documentation, and observation. Analysis of research data used a model from Miles and Huberman consisting of data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. There are three important findings of this study. Firstly, foreign students believe in learning English at Islamic higher education in Kalimantan. They declared that the curriculum is appropriate, carried out by a good process, facilitated by adequate learning facilities, and implemented by competent teachers with varied learning methods. They were also assured to get the extra benefit of not only learning English but also learning Islamic material. Secondly, regarding to the experience of foreign students, there are two main things as our conclusion, namely: language learning benefit and socio-cultural benefit. In the context of learning English, they learned English material and felt more confident in speaking English. Meanwhile, from the socio-cultural aspect, foreign students at Islamic higher education in Kalimantan enhance their life experiences by learning the social life of the Indonesian people which enrich their life experiences. Thirdly, the challenges they faced were independent living, increasing self-confidence, mastering learning material, improving English speaking skills, and adapting to the environment, such as: food, language, or culture.</jats:p>

Challenges Faced by International Students: A Case Study of Jambi’s Institute of Higher Learning

“…Some participants reported issues related to the food of the host country. This finding supports other studies which revealed food is one of the challenges for international students (Wahyuningsih, 2020;Fauzan & Nadia, 2019;Alsulami, 2018;Tsevi, 2018;Rabia, 2017;Alazzi & Al-Jarrah, 2016). The data finding revealed that sometimes the participants missed their native food and had difficulty adapting to the food of the host country because the food is too spicy for them.…”

“…The results showed that international students faced some challenges in their adjustment, such as language, weather, food, education system, way of thinking, and social relation. Furthermore, Fauzan and Nadia (2019) qualitatively investigated the challenges of language learning experienced by international students at Islamic higher education in Kalimantan. They revealed that the international students faced various challenges, such as increasing selfconfidence, mastering learning material, improving English speaking skills, and adapting to the environment.…”

“…Their results also indicated that international students perceived studying a language at Indonesian higher education as a positive experience because they got many benefits. Although the studies above (Emehinola and Saripah,2020;Wahyuningshi, 2020;Fauzan & Nadia, 2019) have provided valuable information on international students' experiences in the Indonesian context, their discussion is limited to adjustment challenges. This present study, on the other hand, tried to comprehensively explore international students' experiences by not only investigating the challenges but also exploring the strategies used by international students to alleviate the challenges.…”

The Use of Role-Play to improve Ability Speaking at MTs Samarinda

“…Role-play can be offered as a solution for English students or learners who have difficulty mastering English, especially speaking. Teachers can try to deal with problems of anxiety and difficulty in speaking English, such as the findings of Sayuri 23 , Dian et al 24 , Shiauping Tian & Masykur Mahmud 25 , Cucu Sutarsyah 26 , or Umar Fauzan & Nadia 27 where the anxiety can be tried to be resolved by implementing Role-play.…”