Students’ Perception of the One-Month Intensive Bilingual English Program at HEC-1

Abstract

This study explores students’ perceptions of bilingual instruction in a one-month English course at HEC-1, a non-formal English learning program in Pare, Kediri. There are speaking groups, grammar and vocabulary lessons, and a study club as part of the course. Teachers often switch between Indonesian and English to help students understand, even though the school encourages them to use English. The study is mostly about how students feel about this bilingual method, especially when it comes to understanding, confidence, and motivation. This study is based on two theories: Robbins and Judge's theory of perception, which says that people react to experiences based on how they see them, and García and Wei's theory of translanguaging, which says that students use two languages in different ways to help them understand and communicate in school. Five students were interviewed to get the data, which was then analyzed using theme analysis. The results showed that teaching students in two languages greatly improved their understanding, especially in grammar and vocabulary, and gave them more courage to speak up and take part in class. Students liked how clear the lessons were and how helpful the environment was. They also offered ways to make things better, like setting up structured study sessions in the evening and making sure that the camp only spoke English. These ideas back up the strategic use of bilingual teaching in short-term English classes that aren't formal. These insights support the strategic use of bilingual instruction in short-term non-formal English programs.