Journal Evaluation in Education (JEE)

Implementation of Differentiated Instruction for BIPA Students in Learning the Indonesian Language

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Purpose of the Study: This study explores the implementation of differentiated instruction in teaching Bahasa Indonesia to foreign speakers, focusing on how adaptive teaching strategies address linguistic and cultural barriers while enhancing learners' communicative competence. Differentiated instruction allows educators to modify content, processes, and assessments based on students’ varying proficiency levels, learning preferences, and cultural contexts creating an inclusive and engaging language-learning environment.

Methodology: A qualitative case study approach was employed to provide an in-depth understanding of instructional practices. The participants were 20 foreign students (8 males and 12 females) from diverse countries enrolled in a Bahasa Indonesia course at the State University of Surabaya. Data were gathered through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. Thematic analysis was applied to identify patterns in instructional adaptation, learner engagement, and classroom implementation challenges.

Main Findings: The results demonstrated that differentiated instruction significantly improved students’ language acquisition, participation, and motivation. Learners benefited from varied learning activities, technology-enhanced tools, and flexible assessment approaches that accommodated different linguistic abilities and cultural backgrounds. Nevertheless, the study identified challenges in lesson preparation time and teachers’ capacity to maintain instructional consistency.

Novelty/Originality of this Study: This research offers one of the first comprehensive examinations of differentiated instruction in the context of Bahasa Indonesia as a foreign language. It offers a culturally responsive pedagogical model that bridges linguistic diversity with inclusive education principles, providing theoretical and practical guidance for educators seeking to enhance equitable, learner-centered language teaching practices in multicultural classrooms.

Poetry as a Multidimensional Medium for Language, Literacy, and Social Reflection in Elementary Education

Diplan Diplan — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Purpose of the Study: Poetry offers not only aesthetic value but also potential as a learning tool that supports children’s language growth, literacy competence, and social awareness. However, poetry is still rarely positioned as a multidimensional pedagogical medium in elementary education. Therefore, this study aims to analyze how poetry functions as a medium for language development, literacy education, and social reflection in elementary classrooms.

Methodology: This study used a qualitative descriptive design involving six purposively selected elementary schools. Data were obtained from five Indonesian language teachers, twelve students, classroom observations, and documentation of students’ poetry works. Data were analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldana model, through data condensation, display, and conclusion drawing, with validity ensured using source and methodological triangulation.

Main Findings: The findings indicate that poetry improves linguistic competence, particularly vocabulary, diction, and figurative language understanding. Poetry also strengthens students’ literacy through close reading, interpretive discussion, and creative writing engagement. Furthermore, poetry becomes a reflective tool for students to express environmental issues, family dynamics, friendship, and cultural identity.

Novelty/Originality of this Study: This study demonstrates that poetry is a multidimensional learning medium that simultaneously develops language skill, literacy depth, and socio-emotional awareness. The novelty lies in its integration of three learning outcomes within one instructional model. Implicationally, poetry-based learning can be adopted as an alternative strategy for teachers to create contextual, expressive, and character-oriented literacy practices in elementary schools.

Leadership, Collaboration, and Satisfaction: A Structural Model of Teachers’ Normative Commitment in Islamic Elementary Schools

Afifah Nurul Khoirot Nasution, Candra Wijaya, Muhammad Dalimunthe — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0700

Purpose of the study: This study investigates the direct and indirect effects of the head of madrasah’s charismatic leadership and teamwork on teachers’ normative commitment, with job satisfaction serving as a mediating variable.

Methodology: Employing a quantitative approach with a survey design, data were collected from 101 teachers of State Islamic Elementary Schools (MIN) in Asahan Regency using proportional random sampling. Path analysis was applied to examine the causal relationships among variables.

Main Findings: findings reveal that charismatic leadership and teamwork significantly influence teachers’ job satisfaction. Furthermore, both variables have direct positive effects on teachers’ normative commitment. Job satisfaction demonstrates the strongest direct effect on normative commitment and significantly mediates the influence of charismatic leadership and teamwork. These results indicate that teachers’ moral obligation and loyalty to their institutions are shaped not only by leadership quality and collaborative work culture but also by their level of satisfaction with work conditions and professional recognition.

Novelty/Originality of this study: The study contributes to educational management literature by emphasizing normative commitment as a critical yet underexplored dimension of teacher commitment in madrasah contexts. Practically, the findings suggest that strengthening charismatic leadership practices, fostering effective teamwork, and improving job satisfaction are strategic pathways to enhancing teachers’ commitment and sustaining educational quality in Islamic elementary schools.

Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills through a Deep Learning-Oriented Group Investigation Model

Zulfani Nurdiana Agustin, Sifak Indana, Nadi Suprapto — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 22:22:28 +0700

Purpose of the study: This research aims to improve the critical thinking skills of junior high school students through the application of the Group Investigation cooperative learning model oriented to deep learning on the interaction of living things and their environment.

Methodology: This study uses a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design of one group pretest-posttest multiple groups. The subject of the study is the students of grade VII of junior high school which consists of two classes. Data was collected through observation of students’ learning implementation and activities, critical thinking skills tests, and student response questionnaires, then analyzed using percentage, N-gain, Wilcoxon test, and effect size.

Main Findings: The main findings of this study show that the application of the Group Investigation cooperative learning model oriented to deep learning is able to strengthen the critical thinking skills of junior high school students significantly and meaningfully. The integration of deep learning approaches at each stage of investigation encourages a high level of cognitive engagement through the process of analysis, evaluation, and conceptual reflection.

Novelty/Originality of this study: The Group Investigation model in general, this study presents a novelty in the form of integrating a deep learning approach into each stage of GI to encourage the process of analysis, evaluation, and conceptual reflection of students, so that the improvement of critical thinking skills does not only occur quantitatively, but also in every critical thinking indicator.

Digital Ethnography of Nongnong Mbaham: Oral Literature Revitalization for Cultural Identity and Contextual Learning Innovation in Papuan Education

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 23:06:06 +0700

Purpose of the study: This study investigates Nongnong Mbaham as a living oral tradition, examines its transformation within digital environments, and explores its potential as a contextual learning innovation in Papuan educational settings.

Methodology: A qualitative digital ethnographic approach was employed, involving participant observation, in-depth interviews, performative analysis, and digital-trace analysis across offline and online cultural spaces.

Main Findings: This study demonstrates that indigenous oral literature can function as a culturally grounded learning resource that supports identity formation, digital literacy, and contextual pedagogy.

Novelty/Originality of this study: This research advances oral-literature studies by integrating digital ethnography with contextual learning innovation, moving beyond documentation toward a sustainable educational revitalization model.