Online Grammar Learning of Students in Bachelor of English Literature Program: A Focus on How the Learners Perceive Their Improvement

ABSTRACT


INTRODUCTION
Grammar is one of the main components that need to be mastered, especially for students who learn the English language, commonly called English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students.According to Wang and Smith (2021) grammar is related to the rules in forming words, phrases, and language clauses the function is to make correct sentences both verbally and non-verbally.In this digital area, the development of technology ISSN: 2964-285X Journal of ESP in Indonesia Vol. 3, No. 2, July 2024: 115 -124 has significantly developed.Online grammar study typically involves recognizing the increasing prevalence of online education and the shift towards digital learning tools.This study likely aims to investigate the specific dynamics of online grammar learning, addressing factors such as accessibility, learner engagement, and the perceived improvement of digital platforms in enhancing grammatical skills (McManus & Marsden, 2018).Understanding these aspects contributes to optimizing online grammar education methods.Furthermore, Gamlo (2019) stated that online grammar learning using the Learn English Grammar mobile application was effective and accessible for learners and could encourage them to enjoy an online learning environment.In addition, various tasks using technologies are more useful in gaining students' motivation in grammar learning than photocopied exercises (Khodabandeh, & Soleimani, 2018).Furthermore, Hassan, Sulan, Sipra, and Ahmad (2016) stated that the use of mobile applications is useful for learners irrespective of their age.However, learning grammar online also has its drawbacks.The first drawback is the unstable internet connection which may discourage students in their online language teaching learning process (Ozudogru & Hismanoglu, 2016).The students' discouragement is caused by the fact that when there is a problem with the internet connection, then they may not be able to listen to their teacher and see the materials broadcasted online by their teacher well (Zamari, Adnan, Idris, & Yusof, 2012).The second drawback, according to the findings of Mahmoud and El Deen's study (2021), is that two major problems are caused by online learning.The first significant problem is "a mismatch between students' specific learning style preferences and the online learning environment," the second major problem is the communication problems among students or between the students and the teacher.However, such studies have yet to reveal specifically how university students perceive their online grammar learning.Since the problem of online grammar learning is significant in language learning, it is necessary to conduct this study for the following reasons.First, this study may discover that university students may or may not perceive online grammar learning as an improvement.Another reason for conducting this study is to find out why the students perceive their online grammar learning as effective or ineffective.
The current issue is figuring out how students feel about online grammar instruction.The problem lies in the need to assess whether students in this program find online grammar learning beneficial in enhancing their language skills and comprehension of grammar concepts.By investigating the learners' perceptions, the study aims to identify any challenges or advantages associated with online grammar learning and explore how it impacts their overall language proficiency.This research contributed to a better understanding of the improvement of online grammar learning for students pursuing a Bachelor of English Literature degree.
The study of online grammar learning among Bachelor of English literature students is significant because it provides valuable insight into the improvement of this mode of learning.A study by Yurko and Vorobel (2021) showed the benefits of online grammar learning activities for students' language proficiency.According to Irdani, Fatima and Triyoga (2022) students who participated in online grammar instruction demonstrated increased accuracy in speaking, writing, and comprehension, according to the study.This helps to develop and improve online learning platforms, benefiting a broader range of learners.Furthermore, this research helps educators understand how to incorporate online resources into their teaching methods, resulting in a more dynamic and improved learning experience for students ( Halim, Wahid & Halim.S, 2021) .Finally, this research has the potential to improve language education and help students achieve language proficiency.A well-thought-out digital platform with interactive literary examples and modified feedback mechanisms is expected to have a positive impact on learners' perceptions of improvement when it comes to online grammar instruction for Bachelor of Literature students.This led to better comprehension and application of grammatical principles.A similar research topic was conducted by Garcia and Lee (2018) on the effects of the instruction of online grammar by selected low proficiency achievement of EFL University Students.However, the research questions and contexts are different from this research.Therefore, these research results fulfill research gaps in the research location and context.
The scope of this research encompasses Bachelor of English Literature students, investigating their perceptions of online grammar learning improvement.The study aims to explore various facets, including content, delivery methods, and literary integration.However, it is essential to acknowledge limitations, as outlined by Al-Jarf (2005), including potential constraints in generalizing findings beyond the specific program and the impact of external variables like technological disparities.Despite these limitations, the research strives to offer valuable insights into the nuanced realm of online grammar learning within the context of English Literature education.There are the research problems as questions that must be answered by the respondents and are summarized as follows: 1. What are the student's perceptions of learning grammar online? 2. How do students learn grammar online?3. What activities do students apply to cross-check the improvement of their learning?

METHOD
In this study, the researchers combined quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate how learners perceive the improvement of their online grammar instruction.Through survey questionnaires, numerical data were collected to measure factors like satisfaction levels and perceived improvement in grammar skills, while interviews and focus groups provided insights into students' experiences and attitudes towards online grammar learning.This comprehensive approach aims to offer valuable insights for enhancing online learning experiences in English language education.Quantitative data were collected through online surveys distributed to students, focusing on their experiences, preferences, and perceived improvement of online grammar learning tools.Qualitative data were gathered through face-to-face interviews with a subset of participants to explore their attitudes, motivations, and challenges related to online grammar learning.The samples of this study were from year 2, year 3, and year 4 students majoring in English Literature at the Institute of Foreign Languages at the National University of Battambang.The researcher focused on 108 students who were randomly selected from each class.The researchers chose these students because they have experience in learning grammar online through the course during the pandemic time.
The instruments used in this study were questionnaires and interviews.The questionnaire was designed with relevant questions related to online grammar learning improvement among Bachelor of English Literature students.The scale model was modified as five choices such as strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree.The last instruments were interviews.The researchers selected 24 participants of year 2, 3, and 4 students in English Literature of the Institute of Foreign Languages to interview about their perceptions of the improvement of such learning methods.These interviews serve as valuable sources of qualitative data, providing insights into students' experiences, challenges, and opinions regarding online grammar instruction.Researchers analyze these interviews to understand how learners perceive the improvement of online grammar learning, without the need for direct engagement with participants.
The data collection procedures are divided into two sections: questionnaires and interviews.To start with, the researcher prepared instruments to collect data.Then, the researcher collected the data through questionnaires and face-to-face interviews.The first instrument was questionnaires, students responded to 30 statements of how students' perceptions of Learning Grammar Online, and the questions were created through Google Forms.The researchers provided the scales to choose between strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree.The last instrument is the interview.The researchers interviewed 24 participants from different classes of year 2, 3, and 4 students of English Literature.The researchers have carefully recorded and noted all the responses from the participants who helpfully answered all the questions with their understanding.

Findings
This figure demonstrates the amount selected research participants of academic year students from year 2 to year 4 majoring in English Literature.

Students' Perceptions on Learning Grammar Online
This section shows the results of students' perceptions of learning grammar online through the survey questionnaires.The uses of questionnaires to observe students' responses due to strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree.Table 1 below shows the students' responses to the survey questionnaires.There are 30 survey items exploring students' perceptions on learning grammar online regarding learning improvement and other benefits.As can be seen in Table 1, most of the respondents have positive agreement with the survey statements.There are two most agreements participants 89 (82.4%) agreed that online grammar has improved their understanding of complex grammar concepts and increased their confidence in using the English language.And 87 (80.60%) agreed to the statement that online grammar learning has increased their ability of English language.Another 84 (77.8%) agreed that online grammar learning has improved their ability to construct persuasive arguments in writing.Another 83 (76.9%) agreed that online grammar learning has helped them develop critical thinking skills, also the interactive exercises in online grammar learning have made the learning process more engaging for them as well as improved their ability to communicate in both written and verbal contexts.The other 82 (75.9%) found that online grammar learning has made them knew how to correct language errors.81 (75%) could find online tools or applications that are most helpful in facilitating their grammar study process, also online grammar learning has improved their time management skills, reading comprehension skills as well as it has positively impacted their writing skills.Some 79 (73.1%) agreed that online grammar learning has provided them with practical skills that are applicable beyond academic settings.We get 78 (72.2%) believed that online grammar learning is a valuable way to improve their language skills, and it is a convenient way to enhance their language proficiency, also it promotes lifelong learning skill.One more 78 (71.7%) found it challenging to stay motivated and engaged with online grammar learning over an extended period of time.Other 77 (71.3%) had internet connectivity problems that disrupted their online grammar study sessions and also struggled with maintaining focus and concentration during online grammar study sessions.They experienced many challenges and obstacles while studying ISSN: 2964-285X Journal of ESP in Indonesia Vol. 3, No. 2, July 2024: 115 -124 grammar online but it was a good way of improving their speaking and they need personalized feedback to enhance their online grammar learning.74 (68.5%) agreed that the convenience of online grammar learning has allowed them to progress at their own pace and they feel motivated to engage in online grammar learning activities.Another 73 (67.6%) agreed that online grammar learning positively influenced their professional and career prospects, and the flexibility of online grammar learning has allowed them to fit language practice into their busy schedule.Also, 72 (66.7%) could manage time to balance their online grammar study.72 (66.6%) could handle the lack of immediate feedback or guidance from instructors when studying grammar online.Other 70 (64.8%)believed that online grammar learning has enhanced their overall academic performance.The last, 49 (45.3%)students believed online grammar learning resources are more effective than traditional classroom-based methods.
This analysis is interpreted that all thirty survey items are responded with high agreement.There are two highest agreements on understanding complex grammar concepts and increasing confidence.

How do EFL students learn grammar online?
This result section illustrates respondents' answers generated from the interview.4 interview questions were delivered to each participant individually until 24 of the selected respondents answered completely during the interview process.

How do students study grammar online?
The results in Table 2 illustrate seven contents generated from 24 participants through interview protocol.The table is classified into 4 categories including contents, codes, the number of respondents, and percentages.After asking 24 students how they study grammar online, 14 students (58.3%) think that watching YouTube is the best way to learn grammar online.Another 3 (12.5%)found out that posting statuses and listening to podcasts is their best way to study grammar online.While another 2 (8.3%) agreed that learning through online courses that they signed and reading a lot of grammar through e-books is the better choice to study online grammar.The last 1 (4.2%) prefer browsing through websites and watching movies to study grammar online.This analysis means that most students study grammar online by watching YouTube and posting statuses.

What activities do students apply to cross-check the improvement of their learning?
Activities applied by EFL students were displayed in Table 3 to illustrate seven contents generated from interview answers of the total 24 respondents.Through the interviews with 24 participants, 13 (54.2%)did quizzes online to cross-check the improvement of their grammar online learning.Other 6 (25%) think that the activities that they apply to cross-check the improvement of their learning are practicing the exercise more and more.Another 3 (12.5%)like to ask for feedback to know the improvement of their online grammar learning.While 1 (4.2%) keep doing assessments, pre-tests, making sentences, reading again and again, and always checking the ability to use grammar to cross-check the improvement of their learning.The results show that students use different ways to measure their improvement in grammar online learning but doing quizzes online that are related to grammar is the one that most of them use to check their learning.

What specific online resources do students use for grammar learning?
Table 4 shows the interview results on the specific online resources that EFL students use to learn grammar.There are four categories including contents, respondents' codes, the number of respondents, and percentages.According to the interview with 24 students, 9 (37.5%)stated that the specific online resources that they mostly use for grammar learning are Grammarly and Google.Other 7 (29.16%)use YouTube as their specific resource.Another 3 (12.5%)prefer using Quillbot while another 2 (8.33%) said that Facebook and Duolingo are the specific resources that often help them in learning grammar.And 1 (4.16%) found it effective to utilize Khan Academy, BBC English, Grammar Checker, IELTS Practices, Tiktok, Purdue OWL, Coursera, Handbook, Dictionary as well as Google Translate as a resource to learn grammar online.Based on this analysis, there are four popular online resources for EFL students to learn grammar including Grammarly, YouTube, Facebook, and Google.
Through this analysis, there are three popular specific online resources for EFL students to use for learning grammar.

Effective way to study grammar online
The table 5 shows the results of interviews with 24 participants.Information is classified into three categories.Responded answers are separated into ten contents with total numbers and percentages.There are seven contents of effective ways students use to learn grammar online generated answers from the interview include practicing grammar exercises, noting, reading, searching for free reliable resources, watching videos, doing surveys, setting goals, motivating, getting feedback, and combining alternative exercises.After interviewing 24 students about their most effective way to study grammar online, 16 (66.66%) said that practicing grammar exercises regularly is the most useful way that help them study grammar easily.Another 5 (20.88%) stated that noting the important points is the best way for them to learn grammar.Other 3 (12.5%)prefer reading as their effective method.While 2 (8.33%) mentioned looking for free reliable resources, watching good and clear videos, setting a daily goal, and staying motivated to get feedback from others to assist them in learning grammar online.The last 1 (4.16%) suggested that combining interactive exercises is a choice that works for their learning grammar online progress.

DISCUSSION
The research study found that online grammar learning has significantly improved participants' knowledge of complicated grammar rules and English language proficiency.Most of the participants admitted to improving their understanding of grammar rules through online platforms and identifying enhanced proficiency in the English language (Khalil, 2018).Video elements in online grammar learning were found to be fun and helpful.Online grammar activities also enhanced writing persuasion, communication skills, and the ability to correct mistakes (Segaran & Hashim, 2022).However, some participants reported difficulty in motivating themselves to engage in online grammar learning for long periods.Additionally, participants also reported interruptions due to internet instability, highlighting the need for robust technological support structures.Factors such as distractibility and frequency of students' attention during online grammar classes were also noted by some respondents.To overcome these challenges, fast and constant connections and minimal distractions were crucial for the success of online learning.
Despite these challenges, participants found online grammar learning effective, useful, and conducive to the acquisition of language knowledge and skills (Tania, 2023).The convenience of online learning and the flexibility of learning made it an attractive option for learners.Participants also appreciated the need for oneon-one feedback and the potential for professional and career growth.Finally, they also reported improved academic achievement due to online grammar learning.Some respondents believed that online learning resources were more effective than traditional classroom methods, suggesting an increased use of online learning platforms for language learning.
The result of the analysis by the researcher through face-to-face interviews can be summarized into four points.The first point is about how they study grammar online.Students genially watch video lessons on YouTube or post statuses to improve their grammar, some listen to podcasts and other students watch movies to learn grammar online.This shows how they're using different ways to study grammar online.Secondly, when researchers ask students about the activities that they use to cross-check the improvement of their learning, a lot of them say that doing quizzes online measures their improvement in learning online grammar.However, some students still use different activities such as practicing the exercises, asking for feedback from everyone, doing assessments, pre-tests, and reading a lot of grammar guides.Thirdly, to know clearly about how the students perceive the improvement of online grammar learning, the researcher even asked about the useful resources that students use to study grammar online.According to monitoring and comparative analysis of the internet resources, Oktaviani and Setiamunadi (2023) stated that the key sources for learning English grammar online have been found as the results are similar to our literature review, most students out of 24 students use Grammarly and Google as their main tools to study.While other students also ISSN: 2964-285X Journal of ESP in Indonesia Vol. 3, No. 2, July 2024: 115 -124 prefer other tools like Khan Academy, BBC English, Grammar Checker, IELTS Practices, Tiktok, Purdue OWL, Coursera, Handbook, Dictionary as well as Google Translate as a resources to learn grammar online.According to Tu (2022) learners can achieve their autonomy in online learning when they are required to employ technology for learning.They became acquainted with the tools available to support their education, and ultimately, online learning allowed them to become autonomous learners of grammar.Additionally, Hassan, Sulan, Sipra, and Ahmad (2016) claimed that learners of all ages can benefit from using mobile applications.Finally, to improve online grammar learning, students like to practice grammar exercises regularly (Waluyo, Phanrangsee & Whanchit, 2023).They even read and noticed some important parts of the grammar that they wanted to learn.Other students always looking for reliable sources through the internet like video tutorials and some are even doing the survey or like to get feedback to measure their grammar.The weak point is that some activities that they do are not important and cannot measure their improvement in online grammar learning.Not all the activities mentioned here work for every student so they have to find a way to improve their grammar online learning (Patel & Jones, 2017).And even though it is difficult for them to choose the best way to enhance their grammar online learning, they still get the idea of how to improve their learning and it also provides some important information for other students to use in their daily lives.

CONCLUSION
In summary, learning online grammar is the modern way for Bachelor's degree students; especially, English literature students.Students applied different ways and activities to perceive their improvement in English grammar.The research results illustrate the positive view of ELF students on learning grammar online.Online grammar learning has significantly improved students' understanding of complex grammar concepts, confidence in using English, persuasive argument construction, and critical thinking skills.Most respondents took online quizzes and practiced exercises to crosscheck their improvement.Despite facing some difficulties including poor internet, and resources, they still learn grammar online through different ways; especially, by watching YouTube.The results of this study can only be generalized to the context of EFL students of Bachelor's degree in the research site.Future researchers should expand respondents and employ different research designs to fill more research gaps regarding online grammar learning.EFL teachers should integrate online grammar learning into grammar courses and courses with relevant skills.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my esteemed teacher, Mr. Ly Sovann, for his exceptional guidance, unwavering support, and invaluable mentorship throughout the development of this research.His expertise, dedication, and insightful feedback have been instrumental in shaping the direction of this research project.I am truly grateful for his patience, encouragement, and commitment to helping me grow as a researcher.His passion for the subject matter and commitment to excellence has inspired me to strive for greater heights in my academic pursuits.
I also want to express my deepest appreciation to my dedicated teammates for their exceptional collaboration, hard work, and unwavering commitment to this research.Their unique perspectives, innovative ideas, and tireless efforts have significantly enriched the quality of this research.I am incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive and talented teammate by my side, and I am deeply appreciative of their contributions to our shared goal.Their positive attitude, professionalism, and teamwork have made this research endeavor a truly rewarding experience.
Last but not least, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the participants who generously volunteered their time, shared their experiences, and provided valuable insights for this study.Their willingness to participate and open up about their experiences have been crucial in advancing our understanding of the topic at hand.I am grateful for their contributions, which have added depth and richness to our research findings.Their willingness to engage with the research process has been truly inspiring, and I am thankful for their invaluable input and support throughout this research.

Table 2 .
How students study grammar online.

Table 3 .
Activities students apply to cross-check the improvement of their learning.

Table 4 .
Specific online resources students use for grammar learning.

Table 5 .
Effective ways to study grammar online