Teacher's Perspective in Fostering Students' Interest in Learning English: A Case Study at Roudhotul Ilmi Boarding School (RIBS) Junior High School
Keywords:
EFL, student interest, foreign language anxiety, pesantren, Islamic boarding school, teacher strategies, qualitative case studyAbstract
This study explores an English teacher's perspective on fostering student interest in English language learning within the unique context of an Islamic boarding school (pesantren). Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through one semi-structured interview with the English teacher of class 8B and one structured classroom observation session at SMP Roudhotul Ilmi Boarding School (RIBS). Findings reveal that student interest in English is predominantly extrinsically motivated, largely driven by exposure to digital media, online games, and popular music rather than intrinsic academic motivation. The teacher employs a combination of classical instruction and gamification-inspired interactive elements to sustain student engagement, alongside a deliberate mistake-tolerance approach designed to reduce foreign language anxiety (FLA). Peer mockery directed at academically engaged students emerged as a significant social barrier to classroom participation. Contextual factors unique to the pesantren environment, including post-prayer schedule fatigue and abbreviated 30-minute lesson periods, present distinctive instructional challenges rarely addressed in mainstream EFL research. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on EFL pedagogy within Indonesian Islamic boarding school contexts and offers practical insights for educators navigating similar settings.
References
Brown, H. D., & Lee, H. (2025). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. In Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003494294
Creswell, J. W. C. . J. D. (2018). Takona, J. P. Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Quality & Quantity, 58(1), 1011-1013.
Detgerding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R. y Nacke, L. (2011). De los elemntos del diseño del juego a la alegría: Definición de la gamificación. Journal of Urology, 185(6), 2179–2180.
Dhofier, Z. (1999). The pesantren tradition: The role of the kyai in the maintenance of traditional Islam in Java. Monograph Series Press, Program for Southeast Asian Studies, Arizona State ….
Dörnyei. (2001). Recensione a cura di Paolo Torresan AUTORE : Zoltan Dörnyei TITOLO : Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom CITTÀ : Cambridge EDITORE : Cambridge University Press ANNO : 2001. (1987).
Habibi, A., Mukminin, A., Najwan, J., Sofwan, M., Haswindy, S., Marzulina, L., Sirozi, M., & Harto, K. (2018). Investigating EFL Classroom management in pesantren: A case study. Qualitative Report, 23(9), 2105–2123. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3117
Hidayati, T. (2017). English Language Teaching in Islamic Education in Indonesia; Challenges and Opportunities. Englisia Journal, 3(2), 65. https://doi.org/10.22373/ej.v3i2.751
HORWITZ, E. K., HORWITZ, M. B., & COPE, J. (1986). Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x
MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994). The Subtle Effects of Language Anxiety on Cognitive Processing in the Second Language. Language Learning, 44(2), 283–305. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01103.x
Marzulina, L., Harto, K., Erlina, D., Holandyah, M., Desvitasari, D., Arnilawati, A., Fridiyanto, F., & Mukminin, A. (2021). Challenges in teaching english for efl learners at pesantren: Teachers’ voices. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 11(12), 1581–1589. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1112.10
Pesantren: Dulu, Kini, dan Mendatang | Opini | Kementerian Agama RI. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2026, from https://kemenag.go.id/opini/pesantren-dulu-kini-dan-mendatang-ft7l9d
Rahmadani, S., & Etfita, F. (2022). Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety: A Study of English Language Learning. Indonesian Journal Of Educational Research and Review, 5(2), 262–272. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijerr.v5i2.50284
Rivera, E. S., & Garden, C. L. P. (2021). Gamification for student engagement: a framework. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(7), 999–1012. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1875201
Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. sage.
Stephen D Krashen. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. In Prentice-Hall International. https://doi.org/https://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/principles_and_practice.pdf
Sulistyanto, I., Kurniawan, E. H., & Prayoga, K. A. (2024). EFL Pre-Service Teacher’s Perception During Kampus Mengajar: A Case Study. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris undiksha, 12(2), 191-197.
