As the development of the industrial revolution takes place, disruptions are happening constantly in almost every major sector of the current industries. Companies and organizations complained about the competencies of the graduates entering the work force. This matter questions the readiness of the education system in preparing the students for the real world. Problems in education such as the regulations, strict policies and instructions from the government are undermining the role of the teachers to do what they think best for their students. This standardization has harmed the motivation and enthusiasm to learn, especially in English language class. Lack of motivation and English Language competency could harm students’ opportunity in accessing the vast global network of knowledge. Merdeka Belajar and SOLE are the promising alternatives in improving ELT. This article is somewhat a position paper trying to clear one side of a debatable opinion about a hot issue. It aims to persuade the reader that our opinion is valid and defensible. In doing so, we then separate the discussion into several parts regarding the analysis of concepts of Merdeka Belajar and SOLE (Self-Organized Learning Environment) related to ELT and motivation in language learning, as well as innovation in education. HIGHLIGHTS: SOLE (Self-Organized Learning Environment) is a concept developed by Sugata Mitra, and the researchers at the SOLE Centre in Newcastle University. SOLE with its highly influenced Constructivism approach lets the learners to take steer of their learning process gives them the ability to make meaning of the subject on their own. Merdeka Belajar (Freedom to Learn) is a new concept that needs to be tread carefully to direct the discussion objectively.

This research paper aimed to examine the academic performance of teenagers, the role of schools, and causes of the antisocial behavior. Our relationship between antisocial behavior and the sample consisted of 127 participants from different schools in the USA aged 13–15. A cross-sectional research design was used. We used primary data to conduct our research. The results suggested that there is a negative relation between antisocial behavior and the academic performance of teenagers. However, there was a significant difference between male and female students’ academic performance. Male children were involved more in antisocial behavior compared to female students. Therefore, we would like to recommend further research works that need to be done on this topic; teachers should closely monitor the behavior of their teenage students as these are the most vulnerable years in a kid’s life. Parents, teachers, and counselors must work together to implement modification strategies to help minimize teenagers’ behavioral problems. This will ultimately result in improving their behavior and also academic performance.

Students’ Perception at the Use of Padlet in Linguistics Class

Teaching speaking to Indonesian EFL young learners is still problematic. It happens not only because English is not used in daily activities but also the government’s regulation to some extent does not support that. This qualitative study aims to describe the problems faced by EFL students in the learning of English speaking with teachers’ perspectives. The samples of this research were three teachers from three different elementary schools in Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia. The data were collected by using questionnaire, interview, and classroom observation. The data were then analyzed by 1) memoing or transcribing the interview data, reading them to make notes and finding the most important information that might be useful for the study, 2) describing the data to find complete explanation of context, setting, and interactions of participants, 3) classifying data—to break down the obtained result and put it into categories, and 4) interpreting the data to find the meanings of the data by connecting the findings with previous studies, personal experience, and expert advice to find the best result. The result showed that EFL students’ problems in the learning of English speaking came from some factors. They are 1) Native language, 2) Age, 3) Exposure, and 4) Motivation, and 5) Learners’ Autonomy. Keywords: speaking, Indonesian EFL students, young learners

The study aimed at analyzing the effectiveness of assigning students to work in groups using Zoom breakout rooms to enhance their speaking self-efficacy to participate in active learning activities in an online learning context. Thirty-six students of Diploma 3 of the Accounting Program attending English for Accounting course were purposively selected as the respondents of the study. The data were collected using a three-part questionnaire distributed electronically using Google Forms. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were measured using Pearson correlation and Cronbach Alpha. The students reported that their sources of English-speaking self-efficacy were enhanced as they had opportunities to develop both mastery and vicarious experience of English speaking, received social persuasion in the form of encouragement and motivation from one another, and experienced lower speaking anxiety. The teaching strategy enhanced the students’ English-speaking self-efficacy to participate in active learning activities to a moderate level. From being quiet and passive, they gradually transformed into active learners who could ask questions, chair discussions, answer questions, defend arguments, etc. It can be concluded that a group work in Zoom breakout rooms facilitated active learning activities as the students experienced opportunities to enhance English-speaking self-efficacy. There was a significant positive correlation between the use of group work in Zoom breakout rooms and students’ self-efficacy to participate in active learning activities. Implications and limitations of this current study are presented, and suggestions for further studies are offered.