Exploring Personalized Learning Features in An EFL Classroom: A Case Study in Indonesian Higher Education

Leveraging a learner-centered approach in higher education is a prerequisite to complying with the current Indonesian curriculum policy, which promotes student mobility and seamless learning. Thus, implementing personalized learning in the classroom supports learning flexibility by accommodating students’ needs, preferences, and interests and promotes student agency. Considering the limited implementation of personalized learning in EFL classrooms, this study aims to investigate how features of personalized learning support EFL students’ learning, particularly in online synchronous and asynchronous settings, which have the potential to inspire future research. Using a writing playlist facilitated by a learning management system, this study employed class observations and focus group discussions with 10 senior students in the English Department. It reveals that personalized learning features, including goal setting, learning tracking, learning phases/instructions, learning support/collaboration, assessment (self, peer, teacher), self-reflection, and voice and choice (flexibility), facilitate EFL students in making, participating in, contributing to, and managing their learning. In light of these findings, this study suggests incorporating more digital technologies to leverage and monitor the success of implementing personalized learning in Indonesian English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) classrooms. In addition, involving more participants and additional English-skill classes could enhance the overall depth and breadth of the research findings.

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