Archive for month: July, 2026

This reflective study examines the implementation of metacognitive scaffolding to improve online English listening instruction for vocational college students over two semesters of classroom practice, learner tracking, and systematic observation. Although digital platforms enable flexible out‑of‑class listening, many vocational learners exhibit mechanical repetition, over‑reliance on correct answers, low engagement, and listening anxiety, largely due to insufficient self‑regulated learning abilities. To address these issues, the researcher restructured online listening lessons around three metacognitive modules: pre‑task planning, in‑process monitoring, and post‑task reflection with hierarchical teacher scaffolding. Adopting a purely qualitative practitioner‑reflective design without control groups or statistical tests, data were collected from classroom observations, learning logs, informal interviews, and weekly student journals. Findings indicate that sustained metacognitive scaffolding appears to help some students gradually move away from passive answer‑oriented habits, ease anxiety for certain learners, and foster self‑regulated learning routines. The study validates the feasibility of metacognitive and scaffolding theories in vocational online settings, acknowledges the limitations of a small single‑class sample, and offers practical pedagogical suggestions for frontline vocational English instructors.

Women are often faced with multiple roles within the family, including as wives, mothers, children, and individuals who contribute to the household economy. In the Indonesian cultural context, the sandwich generation phenomenon is reflected in the position of women who are often faced with dual roles, not only being responsible for children but also continuing to care for elderly parents. These roles often cause emotional, financial, and physical stress. This study aims to describe the communication experiences of sandwich generation women in Kupang City in carrying out dual roles in multigenerational families. The research method used is qualitative with Alfred Schutz’s phenomenological approach through in-depth interviews. The results show that the communication experiences of sandwich generation women in Kupang City face multigenerational responsibilities. Through daily communication, they strive to balance various roles while building a shared understanding of every family decision. Based on Alfred Schutz’s phenomenological perspective, two types of motives were found in carrying out dual roles: the because motive, which is rooted in past experiences, moral responsibility, and the family’s economic condition, and the in order to motive, which is oriented towards long-term goals such as creating economic stability and family welfare. These two motives are influenced by a stock of knowledge encompassing life experiences, cultural values, and religious teachings, which together shape the reflective awareness of sandwich generation women in facing the social and economic demands of multigenerational families. Future research could explore the communication conflicts sandwich generation women experience in navigating their dual roles.