The Impact of Social Interaction Problems on Students’ participation In English Class
Keywords:
Social Interaction Problems, Student Participation, English Class, Qualitative Method.Abstract
This study aims to determine the impact of social interaction problems on students’ participation in English class. In this study, there are two main focuses, namely social interaction problems as the influencing factor and students' classroom participation as the affected variable. This study was conducted at SMP Santo Thomas 3 Medan on seventh-grade students in the 2025/2026 Academic Year. The primary subjects of this study were seventh-grade students, and the data were collected through a triangulation of four instruments: student interviews, student questionnaires, classroom observation checklists, and a teacher questionnaire. This study used a qualitative method to capture students' personal experiences, classroom behaviors, and teacher perceptions. The results of the study showed that students’ participation was heavily shaped by four layered barriers: affective-psychological (fear of making mistakes and low confidence), linguistic-communicative (limited vocabulary and pronunciation difficulties), cognitive-comprehension (difficulty understanding lessons), and socio-environmental barriers (fear of being laughed at by peers and direct questioning pressure). However, the findings also revealed that supportive interaction from the teacher such as giving encouragement, feedback, and utilizing small-group discussions successfully functioned as a reducing factor for these barriers. The implementation of supportive, linguistically scaffolded, and non-threatening interaction patterns is one of the solutions to improve students' verbal engagement. Therefore, it can be concluded that social interaction problems significantly influence students' participation, and creating psychological safety alongside collaborative peer dynamics is essential to move students from passive presence to active participation in English learning.
References
J. Website, H. Hamri, M. Mahmud, and M. Muhayyang, “International Journal of Language, Education, and Literature The Effects of Classroom Interaction on Students’ Participation in English Learning Process at Mas Syekh Yusuf ARTICLE INFORMATION,” Int. J. Lang. Educ. Lit., vol. 2, no. 7, pp. 139–146, 2024.
A. W. Aras, R. Hamid, and A. B. M. Mannong, “the Psycholinguistic Analysis of Student Problems in Speaking English,” Indones. J. Psycholinguist., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 9–15, 2022, doi: 10.56983/ijp.v1i1.137.
Mohanapriya and V. Jaisre, “The Role of Classroom Interactions in Enhancing Speaking Skills in English,” Integr. J. Res. Arts Humanit., vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 201–204, 2024, doi: 10.55544/ijrah.4.6.19.
R. N. R. S. Wungu, M. C. Nisa, M. H. A. Firdaus, U. Syaripudin, and T. Erawati, “Exploring student-centered instructions in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning in Indonesia through trioethnographic reflections,” Asatiza J. Pendidik., vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 279–290, 2024, doi: 10.46963/asatiza.v5i3.1885.
X. Ye, “A review of classroom environment on student engagement in English as a foreign language learning,” Front. Educ., vol. 9, no. July, pp. 1–7, 2024, doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1415829.
Aras, A., Mahmud, M., & Muhayyang, M. (2022). Psycholinguistic barriers in foreign language oral communication. Journal of English Education and Linguistics, 6(2), 112–125. https://doi.org/10.30605/274583
Hamri, H., Mahmud, M., & Muhayyang, M. (2024). The effects of classroom interaction on students’ participation in English learning process at MAS Syekh Yusuf. International Journal of Language, Education, and Literature (IJLEL), 2(7), 139–146.
Hargie, O. (2011). Skilled interpersonal communication: Research, theory and practice (5th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203807491
MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994). The subtle effects of language anxiety on cognitive processing in the foreign language. Language Learning, 44(2), 283–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01103.x
Mohanapriya, S., & Jaisre, M. (2024). Navigating social dynamics: Classroom interaction and its impact on speaking competence. Global Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 14(1), 45–58.
Ningsih, M., Dewi, K., & Mulyati, T. (2025). The English teachers’ and students’ perception on the differentiated instruction. Journal of English Education and Linguistics, 9(2), 46–54.
Riyadi, S., Suparman, U., & Mahpul, M. (2025). Investigating the complex interplay of language anxiety and student engagement in Indonesian EFL classrooms. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 14(3), 512–524.
Sitia Saragi, V. S. (2023). Pola komunikasi interpersonal guru dan siswa dalam meningkatkan motivasi belajar bahasa Inggris. Jurnal Ilmiah Aset, 11(2), 58–67.
Sugiyono. (2023). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan R&D. Alfabeta.
Syahri, I., Saha, S., & Mallya, D. (2024). The evolution of EFL and ELL (2000-2024): Impact of culture, technology, and innovative pedagogies on language learning. World Journal of English Language, 50(11), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v50n11p1
