Journal of English Studies and Business Communication

Beyond the Code: Vocational Students’ Perceptions of Project-Based English Writing at IPB University

Irma Rasita Gloria Barus — 2025-08-25

As vocational education becomes increasingly popular, there is a rising focus on preparing students not only for technical skills but also for academic competence, such as English writing. This study examined how vocational software engineering students perceive a project-based English writing task integrated into their coursework. Conducted at IPB University, the study involved 122 second-year students enrolled in an English for Information Technology Communication course. As part of the course, students were guided to write a research article based on their technical projects. Data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of both Likert-scale items and open-ended questions. The findings suggest that students gained a range of benefits from the project, including: 1) enhanced academic writing, 2) developed research abilities, 3) stronger collaboration skills, 4) a clearer understanding of the content within their discipline, and 5) improved time management. Simultaneously, students reported challenges categorized into four domains based on the project stages: 1) writing and revision: collecting and synthesizing references, paraphrasing, and avoiding plagiarism; 2) planning and drafting: finding novelty and developing the topic; 3) data collection and analysis: reaching the target response, processing data; 4) submission and publication: finding a relevant journal platform and waiting for review. While this study highlights the value of project-based learning in vocational contexts to ensure meaningful learning outcomes, it also indicates areas where further instructional support is needed to improve the course design and delivery.

Literature as a Cultural Mirror and Educational Tool: An Analysis of the Representation of Women in Laut Bercerita

Aninditya Ardhana Riswari — 2025-08-28

Literary works function not only as a medium for aesthetic expression but also as cultural mirrors and educational tools that record the social conditions of society. Laut Bercerita (The Sea Speaks His Name), a novel by Leila S. Chudori, depicts the abduction and enforced disappearance of activists during Indonesia’s New Order era while portraying the representation of women within the framework of Indonesian culture. This study employs a descriptive qualitative method with a content analysis approach to examine the portrayal of women through key characters such as Asmara Jati, Kinan, and Anjani. The data are analyzed using feminist literary theory and cultural studies, with particular attention to their implications for character education and literary literacy. The findings reveal that the novel presents women as independent, intelligent, and courageous individuals who play active roles in social, political, and domestic spheres—challenging traditional stereotypes of passive femininity. The novel also portrays the harsh reality of repression against female activists, highlighting the dual position of women within patriarchal society and an authoritarian regime. Educationally, Laut Bercerita serves as an effective learning medium to enhance students' critical awareness of gender issues, history, and human values, while also enriching their cultural understanding. Thus, the novel functions not only as a cultural mirror but also as an educational tool capable of shaping critical, empathetic, and humanistic character development among students in both secondary and higher education.

Language Use in Digital Marketing of Pegadaian's Gold Savings

Muhammad Rosyid Husnul Waro'i — 2025-09-03

This study examines the digital communication strategies of PT Pegadaian to promote its Gold Savings product on instagram. Based on the application of Joos’s language style theory and AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) marketing model, this research analyzes how Pegadaian’s instagram captions and hashtags create appealing messages. A qualitative descriptive approach was applied, analyzing 50 instagram posts between January and July 2025, supported by semi-structured interviews among Gold Savings users. The findings indicate that Pegadaian maintains a dominant casual style as indicated by the utilization of colloquial phrases, contractions, and cultural references. This casual style is supported by consultative and formal styles for user engagement and trust. Using the AIDA model, this study also shows how Pegadaian captures attention with attention-grabbing hooks, maintains interest with product education, and stimulates desire through clearly defined call-to-actions. According to this study, Pegadaian success in online marketing lies in its careful application of relatable language and persuasion techniques that make gold investing more approachable for a younger, more digitally engaged market

The Stages of Male Oppression Towards Women in The Novel Women Talking by Miriam Toews

aulya dhini dhini — 2025-09-03

Women Talking by Mirriam Toews explores the oppression of women due to male domination that occurs in Bolivia. The oppression experienced was rape of women by drugging them with animal anesthetic. This research aims to find out the dominance of men and women’s struggle against men in the novel Women Talking by Mirriam Toews. The author uses qualitative descriptive methods in reporting the results of data analysis. Data were analyzed using Diane Richardson's Theory of Sexuality and Male Dominance. The object of this research is Mirriam Toews' novel entitled Women Talking. After analyzing the struggle of women facing male domination in the novel Women Talking by Miriam Toews the author finds out the relationship between sexuality and male oppression is how men have power over women in society as a whole and how this power relationship is unequal. In other words, sexual relations demonstrate women's subordination while maintaining it. In this perspective, the problem is how male dominated sexuality limits women in all aspects of their lives. In this case, power and dominance are the pillars of male sexuality. Men become sexual to demonstrate their status as masculine and their power over others. This is an important way for men to control and dominate women. The finding of this research was the first is some women will remain obedient and will not want to leave and the second is other women will come out and fight for independence and will not be restrained by the ideology of power that is allowed to dominate the hearts and minds of society.