Exploring Lived Experiences in Academic Listening through TED Talks: An Etnography Study

Abstract

abstrak—Penelitian ini bertujuan mengeksplorasi pengalaman mahasiswa EFL dalam mempelajari academic listening melalui pemanfaatan TED Talks di kelas Academic Listening pada sebuah perguruan tinggi swasta di Bojonegoro. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain educational ethnography. Data diperoleh melalui observasi kelas, wawancara semi-terstruktur, jurnal reflektif, dan dokumentasi tugas mind mapping. Partisipan terdiri dari tujuh mahasiswa yang dipilih dengan teknik purposive sampling. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa TED Talks mendorong terbentuknya budaya belajar aktif melalui kebiasaan mencatat, diskusi kelompok, dan refleksi diri. Mahasiswa menghadapi tantangan linguistik berupa kecepatan berbicara penutur asli, kosakata akademik yang kompleks, serta variasi aksen. Untuk mengatasi kesulitan tersebut, mereka mengembangkan strategi kompensasi seperti memutar ulang video, menggunakan fitur slow motion, mencatat kosakata baru, dan memanfaatkan subtitle bahasa Inggris. Selain itu, keterkaitan topik TED Talks dengan kehidupan mahasiswa menumbuhkan respons afektif positif berupa motivasi, minat, dan peningkatan kepercayaan diri dalam keterampilan listening. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa TED Talks tidak hanya berfungsi sebagai media autentik dalam pembelajaran listening, tetapi juga membentuk ekosistem belajar yang sosial dan reflektif dalam konteks EFL di perguruan tinggi.

Kata kunci— Mendengarkan dalam Konteks Akademik, TED Talks, pengalaman pribadi, etnografi, siswa EFL

Abstract— This study explores the experiences of EFL students in learning academic listening through the integration of TED Talks in an Academic Listening class at a private university in Bojonegoro. Using a qualitative approach with an educational ethnography design, data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, and mind mapping assignments. The participants consisted of seven students selected through purposive sampling. The findings reveal that TED Talks foster an active learning culture by encouraging note-taking, group discussions, and self-reflection. Students encountered linguistic challenges such as the fast pace of native speakers, complex academic vocabulary, and diverse accents. To address these difficulties, they employed compensatory strategies including replaying videos, using the slow-motion feature, recording new vocabulary, and utilizing English subtitles. Moreover, the relevance of TED Talk topics to students’ lives generated positive affective responses, such as motivation, interest, and increased confidence in listening skills. In conclusion, TED Talks function not only as authentic media for listening instruction but also as a catalyst for building a social and reflective learning ecosystem within the EFL context at the university level.

Keywords— Academic Listening, TED Talks, lived experiences, ethnography, EFL students