p–ISSN: 2723 - 6609 e-ISSN: 2745-5254
Vol. 5, No. 7 July 2024 http://jist.publikasiindonesia.id/
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2024 3110
Exploring Students' Experience of Using Nearpod in
Grammar Lesson about Students’ Increased Engagement: A
Descriptive Qualitative Approach
Atik Astrini
1*
, Agus Wijayanto
2
, Malikatul Laila
3
, Yeni Prastiwi
4
, Anam Sutopo
5
Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia
Email:
1*
2
3
,
4
5
*Correspondence
ABSTRACT
Keywords: Gen Z,
Nearpod, Students’
experience, Student’s
engagement.
The research aims to investigate the student’s experience of
using Nearpod related to students’ increased engagement in
grammar lessons at SMAN 1 in Surakarta. A significant
level of engagement is the key for students to keep up with
grammar lessons and then gain a better comprehension of the
lesson. The research uses a descriptive-qualitative method.
The research applies focus group discussion, in-depth
interviews, observation techniques, and document analysis.
To broaden understanding of the level of engagement, the
research explores the students’ experiences in learning
grammar using Nearpod. The research then analyzes the data
from techniques to identify the pattern, trend, theme, and
meaning. The result of the research shows that the use of
Nearpod in Grammar Lessons has a significant impact on
increasing students’ engagement. This finding implies the
importance of integrating subjects with digital platforms to
create a collaborative and interactive environment of
learning.
Introduction
We are currently in the era of information technology which is familiarly referred
to as the 4.0 era. This 4.0 technology era is characterized by the integration of digital
technology into everyday life through the use of data, the use of Block Chain, the
application of Smart Manufacturing technology, the development of Artificial
intelligence (AI) technology, the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the use of
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).
The generation that was born and grew up in an era where smart devices, the
internet, and digital technology have become commonplace is known as Generation Z.
The term the people nowadays are Generation Z who is considered a new generation and
grew up with modern technology and facilities. People at this age probably decide and
do things very fast and do not like to wait for anything. They often do many things at the
same time that might affect their job performance and perception. Therefore, people in
Generation Z, who are classified as early school age, are easily distracted from their work
Exploring Students' Experience of Using Nearpod in Grammar Lesson about Students’
Increased Engagement: A Descriptive Qualitative Approach
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2024 3111
and immerse themselves in the digital world lacking interaction with society (Klinjuy,
2020). So Generation Z can be referred to as "Digital Natives" because they are familiar
with the digital environment.
In education, Generation Z is no stranger to digital learning, accessing learning
materials online and utilizing learning apps. Generation Z students spend much of their
time accessing social media and online media. If there is something they do not know,
they are used to referring to search engines such as Google. With such characters, the
learning process for Generation Z requires specialized teaching methods. The learning
process for Generation Z requires the use of methods or teaching methods that engage
learners between the learners and the instructors or among learners themselves. Not only
making the students interested in learning but also allowing learners to express the process
of their thinking and decision-making. The instructors can assess what the learners reflect
on both speaking and writing or when interacting with their classmates. This can help to
prevent misunderstandings and finally become meaningful knowledge for the learners,
that is, the learners can link the new knowledge with the existing knowledge and such
knowledge can be used to analyze the problems encountered in daily life (Klinjuy, 2020).
According to (Berg, Oddane, & and Lamøy, 2022) Generation Z learn by
observation and experimental practice, not through reading and listening to PowerPoint
presentations (Shatto and Erwin, 2016). They tend not to use textbooks or manuals for
research. Rather, there is a reliance on internet search engines and videos. Hope (2016)
provides a summary of their learning styles with the following phrase: “Want to learn
something? Google it. Want to learn something? YouTube it.” Learning is a combination
of experiences to alter behavior, which occurs through practice, therefore, exploring the
benefits of hands-on and experiential experiences should be considered when preparing
to teach the Z generation of students, keeping in mind that they are visual and prefer
physical learning applications and engagement. (Paramita, 2023). That’s why effective
learning for Gen Z requires media and online learning platforms, including in this case
learning English writing.
The Senior High School students are identified as Generation Z (“Gen-Z”). They
are born between 1995-2012. Their daily life is so connected to the internet. Technology
and the internet become important parts of their life. It’s inseparable. They are used to
communicating by using gadgets in their hand. To describe their attachment to the internet
through their gadget, according to Hastini, Yossi L., Fahmi, Rami., and Lukito, Hendro.,
2020, page. 3, most Gen-Z engage in their social life online and half of Gen-Z prefer
online communication to communication in real life. Although they get used to exploring
the world with gadgets on their hands, their digital literacy does not improve well. It
instead affects their English proficiency especially Grammar which tends to be stagnant
or decreasing.
To overcome the challenging problem of studying Grammar among students, the
researcher approaches it by using a digital platform called Nearpod. Nearpod seems to
enable students to actively participate and engage collaboratively. By using Nearpod,
Grammar Lesson is held under dynamic, relaxing, and fun circumstances. It’s expected
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to minimize anxiety, lack of confidence, reluctance, and other mental barrier among
students to share their ideas. By creating a real-time enabling environment, students
should be more engaged in studying Grammar.
Burton, Rob in a review of Nearpod- an Interactive tool for student engagement
(2019 page.95) states that Nearpod provides the flexibility for the educator to shift from
presentation/ lecture mode to individual and group activities. Nearpod allows students to
collaborate and post as well as being able to participate in polls (Burton, 2019). According
to Lestari, Puji., and Sihombing, Lambok Hermanto (2022, page 75), Nearpod can be
used as a digital platform to improve students’ writing. As we know one of the ways to
see the students’ understanding is through assessment. One form of writing assessment
entails the creation of an essay in multiple drafts, with checklists to help with evaluation.
If Nearpod can improve students writing, it means it can improve students’ grammar as
well.
According to Ariyani, Sartika Dewi., dan Nurkhamidah, Neni, 2023 Page. 52,
Nearpod application was built in 2012 (Sanchis et al., 2021). Moreover, Nearpod makes
it possible to make presentations by including various activities, web content, and
questions; besides that, Nearpod can track students` activities in real time. Easy
application use makes Nearpod one of the web-based applications used in the learning
process. Easy accessibility, no registration required, no need to download apps, and an
intuitive design make the Nearpod the choice.
Some researches show positive impacts on students’ experience and engagement in
learning English by using Nearpod as a tool for teaching. Delacruz observed the use of
Nearpod in guided reading groups. She compared the traditional guided reading with
Nearpod guided reading and she found that most students chose Nearpod as a good tool
to guide them in the reading process. She explained that the interactivity seemed to be the
main reason for the preference as demonstrative in the students’ reactions to Nearpod.
Furthermore, the result of her study showed that using Nearpod for the guiding reading
could be incorporated with little effort and increased student engagement (Kalsum, 2021).
Nearpod is an app that could enhance collaboration and interaction in the classroom.
Because it makes it possible for teachers and lecturers to coordinate, present, and manage
in-class materials like slides and videos. Additionally, Nearpod reports on student actions
in class, enabling teachers to evaluate how well their charges are learning (Susanto,
Rachmadtullah, & Rachbini, 2020). Giving students additional chances to participate in
learning activities and enabling them to interact with one another in a lively manner, can
also enhance their learning experiences and raise their happiness with their learning
(Herwawan & Panjaitan, 2022).
Numerous studies have clarified the benefits of Nearpod for online teaching and
learning (Burton, 2019). First, it is advised that Nearpod should be employed in crowded
classrooms to increase student interaction. Second, Nearpod can be a fabulous tool for
students' engagement and motivation during lectures because it contains attention-
generating features. Third, student-student interaction or student-teacher interaction can
be conducted through 'collaborate board' or 'draw it activities', reducing students' anxiety
Exploring Students' Experience of Using Nearpod in Grammar Lesson about Students’
Increased Engagement: A Descriptive Qualitative Approach
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2024 3113
in speaking because they have more freedom to share their ideas and discuss other
students' answers. Finally, the poll activity and Report section allow teachers to give
instant feedback on learners' results (Sanmugam, Selvarajoo, Ramayah, & Lee, 2019). In
other words, Nearpod helps reveal quickly what students achieve and their shortcomings
after each lesson, from which teachers may adjust their teaching plans. Therefore,
Nearpod is time-saving in grading and assessment.
Shanmugam et al. (2019) believe that Nearpod can conduct interactive learning
environments and increase students’ engagement and motivation during the learning
process. Nearpod provides features where teachers can view the number of students who
are actively involved during the teaching session. Besides, Nearpod also helps teachers
with the assessment process. Teachers can make a quiz on Nearpod then the quiz
submitted by the teacher can be graded immediately; therefore, students can get real-time
feedback. (Buttrey, 2021) has experienced using Nearpod in the learning process and it
shows that Nearpod can make an enjoyable environment. Further, Buttrey states that
Nearpod shows promise as a tool to assist the teacher in keeping students actively engaged
in face-to-face or distance learning. It will have an impact on student's performance in
the learning process (Dewi, Santosa, & Dewi, 2023).
There is limited research that provides the data to support the claim that Nearpod
can improve students’ level of engagement in English Grammar. Therefore, this research
aims to fill this gap by exploring the students’ experience and observing the tenth-grade
senior high school student’s level of engagement in learning Grammar in a Senior High
School in Surakarta. The research will provide empirical evidence that is usable to
improve effective grammar teaching by using Nearpod as an interactive and collaborative
tool. This study is about to focus on the following questions:
1. How do students experience grammar learning by using Nearpod?
2. How does the interaction between students in grammar learning by using Nearpod?
3. What are the responses of students to the interactive features provided by Nearpod in
the context of grammar learning?
4. How does the utilization of Nearpod affect participation and engagement in grammar
discussions and exercises?
5. How do students perceive the effectiveness of using Nearpod in improving their
grammar skills?
6. What are the learning strategy of learning used by teachers in using Nearpod to ensure
optimum engagement of students in grammar learning?
7. What are the challenging factors of using Nearpod in grammar learning?
Research Methods
The method employed descriptive-qualitative study by describing and explaining
the phenomena thoroughly. It focused on understanding the meaning and context of the
phenomena by using data collected in in-depth interviews, observation, and document
analysis. The study is about to be conducted for three weeks. The participants were
eleventh-grade students from two classes to get diverse perspectives and the teacher who
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got involved with it. The purpose of the descriptive qualitative study was to find out if
the usage of Nearpod improves the student’s engagement in learning grammar. As many
of 71 students of two classes were observed, 20 students of two classes were randomly
selected and then requested to have a focus group discussion and in-depth interview.
The discussion and interview guidelines are divided into three aspects, namely: an
exploration of the student’s experience in using Nearpod, the student’s level of
engagement, and the perceived of usefulness using Nearpod in learning grammar. Then,
the interview transcripts were manually analyzed qualitatively.
Results and Discussion
The researcher focused on answering the questions above based on findings from
observation, discussion, in-depth interviews, and data analysis. The researcher found that
since its introduction in grammar class, the use of Nearpod seems to improve the level of
engagement of the students. It is the main theme of the research by exploring the
experience of students in using Nearpod for grammar learning.
Students’ Experience of Newness
As a web-based educational platform, Nearpod offers newness in learning and
teaching activities. It optimizes subject material to be very well presented in various
formats that can be accessed through the screen gadgets of students. “As a medium of
learning, Nearpod offers something new for me. I can look at my gadget screen to present
learning material, not only in powerpoint or text but also in audio-visual. All are under
teacher’s control”. “Sometimes the teacher asks us to direct participation, discussion or
send the link as a learning material”. Nearpod gives students a new experience of learning.
“When I used Nearpod for the first time, I felt so amazed. It’s like opening the door
towards new interactive learning”. Learning grammar by using Nearpod gives students
new and positive experiences.
Observing the gestures shown by the students and their intonation during the
interview, indicate that the use of Nearpod in grammar lessons is greatly accepted among
students. They express their positive experiences and are more enthusiastic and cheerful.
“Nearpod has changed the way I positively learn grammar”. It increases my mood in
learning grammar”. They recognize Nearpod as a reliable helping tool to enhance their
skill in English. Nearpod is perceived as a valuable online resource to facilitate their
comprehension of grammar material satisfactorily. “I think Nearpod enriches my
experience in studying grammar in many ways with its interactive features”. Nearpod is
an online learning tool that helps students to learn grammar better. Students also reported
that Nearpod makes a significant contribution to their comprehension of grammar.
Learning grammar by using Nearpod is much better than without it. Students have
optimistic opinions and impressions about the benefits of using Nearpod.
Data suggest that the students get motivated to participate using Nearpod in
grammar lessons. Most of them are satisfied. The use of Nearpod as a learning tool is
very welcome. “Learning grammar is quite challenging. It needs great effort to keep up
Exploring Students' Experience of Using Nearpod in Grammar Lesson about Students’
Increased Engagement: A Descriptive Qualitative Approach
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with. And I find Nearpod helps me a lot to learn grammar better”. Most of the students
respond positively to the usage of Nearpod which increases their level of engagement.
“Nearpod is very helpful to overcome my anxiety in learning grammar. I can comprehend
the subject better”. The data also suggest that there are two hindering factors for student
engagement, that are gadget distraction and internet network lagging.
Interaction Between Students
Learning grammar by using Nearpod creates a relaxing environment and ice-
breaking. On one hand, the teacher saves a lot of energy by reducing oral explanation
before class, to be more productive by developing learning material and giving feedback.
It improves the level of student engagement. On the other hand, students feel free to ask
questions and give answers without being afraid of getting bullied by their classmates.
“Nearpod enables me to address my opinion without being afraid of getting bullied”. The
use of Nearpod overcomes a big hindrance that usually occurs in conventional teaching,
reluctance to participate to avoid direct criticism from classmates or teachers.
When using Nearpod, the interaction between students is unavoidable as Nearpod
is designed to be a collaborative learning platform. In other words, Nearpod indeed
enables teachers, students, and the whole class to continuously collaborate and gain the
best benefit from it. “I didn’t get used to expressing my opinion orally in front of the
class. Thanks to Nearpod that makes my idea heard or listened to by the other students
and teacher”. “I’m an introvert. I don’t talk a lot or be sociable either. Nearpod helps me
bridge my gap”.
Certain students usually actively respond, participate, or give feedback on the
material discussed or taught. Many of the students are reluctant to address their opinions
orally in front of the class for any reason, namely they feel they do not have self-
confidence, to are afraid of being laughed at or teased. “It takes a gut to give your opinion
in front of the class. I don’t want to be bullied especially when I give my answer and the
answer is incorrect”. Nearpod provides interactive features such as a collaborative board,
quizzes, and games that enable students to interact more intensively and frequently. “With
Nearpod, it’s easy for me to interact with the other students in a fun way. I can answer
questions, and do my part in task group without being afraid of getting bullied”.
Productive interaction between students occurs during accessing material
presentation through students’ gadgets. Moreover, The shared material varies in different
kind of formats, such as Audio, Video, Audio-Video, PPTX, text, image, YOUTUBE
links, and online media links. The students interact with each other by sharing opinions,
answering direct questions, or actively participating in class discussions. “Using Nearpod
is fun for me as we can interact with each other through our gadget. We can share our
opinions or answer questions”.
. Nearpod creates an engaging learning experience so that students are encouraged
to participate and interact with each other in grammar learning. The students exhibited a
positive manner toward using Nearpod. As commonly presumed, English Grammar is
commonly challenging. Due to challenging material, when the students find it difficult,
they tend to get stuck and get bored. As if nobody can help them to overcome this
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situation. When introduced to Nearpod, the student finds that it’s very useful for
comprehending grammar material. Besides, the students find that using Nearpod in class
helps them to do given assignments more effectively.
Response to the Interactive Features
Nearpod provides interactive features, such as Interactive Presentation, Question
and Polling, Assignment and Quiz, Interactive Image, Video and Audio, 3D content and
VR, and Anotation that enable students to mark, underlying, or write notes on the
presented slide to express their thought or highlighting important information,
Collaborative Board, Group Discussion, Tracing and Analysis. Almost everything needed
to conduct effective and fun classes is provided by Nearpod. “I can write on notes and
post it, erase it whenever needed. And the note can be saved so that whenever I need it, I
can read it again and again”. “Sometimes when it’s hard for me to comprehend the
material, I use notes, one of the features provided by Nearpod. And then I can ask the
teacher to explain it in more detail”.
It seems that most of the students enjoyed a new approach to learning grammar by
using Nearpod. Highly motivated by the need to master English as an international
language, they are ready to deal with newness, innovation, and technology that make it
easier to master English, especially in grammar. The more the students are engaged in
learning, the more they are motivated to master the subject. It is driven by their interests.
They can adapt to new circumstances of learning, including the use of Nearpod. The use
of Nearpod is a new thing for the students, especially in grammar class.
The eleventh students get acquainted with Nearpod when introduced by their
grammar teacher. Even though it is new, the students have no difficulty in using it.
Students are motivated to explore its further features. It gives them new experiences “We
use Nearpod in English lessons. It’s easy to use and helps us to understand the subject
better”. “Learning grammar with quizzes and group assignments by using Nearpod
overcame my boredom and helped me focus more on attending grammar class”. Although
most students show high intrinsic motivation when dealing with a new approach to
learning grammar, a few consider it not effective, even decreasing the level of
engagement. They feel comfortable reading manuals or textual books rather than using
gadgets to connect with the subject matter.
Dealing with the difficulty of mastering grammar material, they can keep making
the material by building productive interaction with other students through Nearpod’s
interactive features. “Learning grammar is not easy. English is not my mother language.
As English is an international language, I cannot abandon it. No matter if I like it or not,
I must try my best to understand. And thanks to Nearpod that helps me a lot to make me
deal with grammar lessons”. Other students say, “ I could never imagine that learning
grammar would be as a fan with Nearpod”.
Student’s Participation and Engagement
Nearpod provides features that enable teachers to share subject matter with students
or let students have real-time participation by choosing direct participation and sharing a
code with the students. “We can manage easily when we’d like to share the subject matter
Exploring Students' Experience of Using Nearpod in Grammar Lesson about Students’
Increased Engagement: A Descriptive Qualitative Approach
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2024 3117
with students or let them engaged in direct participation”. Before the use of Nearpod, the
level of student participation may vary, with some students tending to be passive in class.
However, with the use of Nearpod, there was a significant increase in the level of student
participation. The main trend observed showed the increase in students’ participation
during the use of Nearpod in grammar learning.
The use of Nearpod increases the level of student’s engagement in learning
grammar. The teacher is no longer the center of attention in class but the grammar
materials are presented in their gadgets’ screen. Their eyes keep looking at presented
texts, images, and videos meanwhile their ears keep listening to the audio and
instructional voice of the teacher. “I get used to being distracted, doing something else
when the teacher explains the material in front of the class. But Nearpod offers different
things that can make students engaged more than before. The students usually get
distracted for any reason, such as boredom, not interest, or fatigue. It means they do
something that does not relate to the lesson. But when using Nearpod, most of them seem
to be more engaged.
Technology may affect to increase or decrease student’s engagement in learning
grammar. If the level of engagement is high, it supposedly increases the comprehension
level of the subject. But if the level is low, it supposedly decreases the comprehension
level of the subject. The use of Nearpod in grammar class, for most of the students
improves the level of engagement. Compared with conventional grammar class that relies
on the teacher, the learning environment of the new approach of teaching using Nearpod
encourages students to keep listening to the teacher, operate gadgets to keep up with the
subject matter, question and answer, get connected with the whole class and collaborating
with others. “Nearpod boosts my mood. I’m not afraid anymore to answer, ask questions,
and give my opinion even though my answer or my opinion may be false”. I can express
my opinion and answer questions more freely without being afraid of getting bullied by
my classmates. Nearpod as a web-based educational platform is reliable to improve
student’s level of engagement. It creates dynamic learning in a grammar class
environment.
Perceived Of Effectiveness Using Nearpod
Nearpod is perceived as an effective medium for learning grammar. The use of
Nearpod encourages the students to be involved and engaged in learning grammar. Only
not to be passive listeners, the students participate actively in many kinds of creative and
interactive activities provided by this web-based educational platform, including
participating in quizzes, class discussions, answering questions, doing assignments, and
collaborative exercises. It means that students' engagement in using Nearpod creates a
certain dynamic and supportive environment in which every student, indiscriminately has
an opportunity to get involved in the learning process actively and productively,
becoming the learning subject. “Nearpod is effective in making students focus on the
presented material. Without Nearpod, usually, there are fewer than fifteen active students
in answer questions or express their thoughts. With Nearpod, I count more than twenty
students are active”,
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“Nobody in class doesn’t have a gadget. Nearpod is easy to access and also easy to
use. All we need is to open the web or install the Nearpod application and listen to teacher
instructions carefully”. The effectiveness of Nearpod has a strong correlation with
accessibility and simple usage. We don’t have to be fully digitally literate to be able to
operate through individual gadgets. Nearpod is accessible with a Personal Computer,
Laptop, Tablet, or Smartphone. The students feel comfortable when using Nearpod to
help them learn grammar better. “I can access Nearpod by using my smartphone. It’s easy
to use and I can use it everywhere as long as internet network is available”. “Even though
it was my first time using Nearpod, I didn’t encounter difficulties in using it”.
Nearpod enables teachers to trace and also record if the grammar material is
delivered or understood by the students. The teacher takes control of the class to ensure
grammar material is discussed and accomplished in a certain time. “With the use of
Nearpod in learning grammar, discussion, and collaboration quality between students get
improved. The class became more lively and productive as the students actively shared
their thoughts, ideas, and opinions on grammar material. Through class discussion and
collaborative features provided by Nearpod, collaboration and interaction between
students even students with teachers also improved. “I have a positive experience in
learning grammar with Nearpod. For me, it’s a new method. Nearpod helps me to
overcome boredom and focus on learning grammar. It’s because we can use Nearpod
together in a collaborative way so that I can keep up with the grammar material”. This
shows us that the use of Nearpod is effective in creating more dynamic, interactive
grammar learning.
“Nearpod helps me understand the concept of various tenses better and how to use
it in our daily lives. Nearpod also encourages me to practice interactively with the other
students and give real-time feedback directly. By watching presented material, I also
internalize the material better”. With the interactive features, namely quizzes, and
assignments, the students can learn independently. The learning tempo is controllable.
The Progress of each student can be monitored and analyzed. By doing so, the teacher
can trace the progress of each student. It also enables the teacher to identify students’
errors, difficulties, and confusion. The Teacher, thereby, can provide needed additional
support and give the students a chance to understand their grammar. By joining all
aspects, Nearpod is considered effective in increasing grammar learning effectively and
interestingly.
Strategy Of Learning
Developing peer support seems to be a relevant strategy to ensure a good learning
environment for students. By optimizing Nearpod’s features such as collaborative board,
discussion group, quizzes, games, and collective assignments, peer support can be
obtained. “I can make notes without worrying about losing them. And I can post them so
the other students get to know my idea. I can feel that we are connected”.U sing Nearpod
implies that all individual students need to be treated fairly and indiscriminately. And it
should apply to fellow students. “We need to encourage students to rely on their selves
and each other. It’s collaboration time, not competition. We’d like to see them support
Exploring Students' Experience of Using Nearpod in Grammar Lesson about Students’
Increased Engagement: A Descriptive Qualitative Approach
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each other as many features of Nearpod emphasize on cooperation, collective action, and
collaboration. It cannot work well when they can’t rely on each other”.
Creating a good and comfort and good environment for students so that they can
give their best to participate and engage in the grammar learning process is quite
challenging. But with the use of Nearpod, it is less challenging as it’s indeed designed to
develop students’ skills both individually or collectively. “By using Nearpod, we cannot
excuse ourselves that we cannot develop students’ peer support as we take control of
shared materials in their gadget”. By this approach, no one is left behind. Those who
comprehend more should help those who comprehend less. Teacher instruction is not
always useful in motivating students to focus on grammar learning. But discussing and
sharing between students are.
Peer support can bridge collaboration and discussion. They can help each other to
deepen their understanding of grammar material. It can also boost learning motivation.
Every individual student is encouraged to contribute. Peer support is effective in creating
a good learning environment. Those who are more proficient in using Nearpod can share
examples, and tips with those who are challenged with the grammar concepts. “I thank
my classmate who helped me to deal with my difficulty in grammar material. He lent me
a hand with related given examples”. Peer Support also develops social skills and enables
the learning environment to become dynamic, flexible, and adaptive.
Challenging Factors
Even though most teachers and students have a positive impression that the use of
Nearpod improves the level of engagement in grammar learning, there are also
challenging opinions, negative experiences, and severe environments. Firstly, lack of
motivation and personal interests. Students who are not enthusiastic in grammar learning
may less active in using Nearpod. Moreover, they think the material is not relevant to
their interests, and they tend to be reluctant to get engaged. “I think I don’t have to study
grammar very seriously. It’s enough for me when I can write and speak fluently“.
Secondly, Inappropriate Learning Style. Each student may have their learning style.
Nearpod Learning Structure is supposed to be taken for granted. Students with active
learning styles and self-learning patterns find it difficult to adapt. “I get used to learning
English with books. I prefer to learn in a self-learning pattern. When using Nearpod, I
feel like my learning rhythm is decreasing”. Thirdly, a lack of Direct Social Interaction.
In conventional learning, direct interaction between students and teachers is common.
The use of Nearpod reduces direct social interaction during grammar learning. It could
weaken the level of engagement. “I like to look at my teacher and classmates more
frequently than look at my gadget. Direct interaction makes me feel alive”.
Fourthly, The Lack of Teacher Engagement. When teaching with the use of
Nearpod, a teacher should be informed and skillful in dealing with it, have adequate
knowledge about Nearpod, its features, and also how to operate and create, insert, and
share material with the class. The Lack of knowledge and know-how about Nearpod
reduces their level of engagement. Lastly, Environmental and Technical Disturbances.
“A supportive and comfortable environment with adequate equipment and resources
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strongly improves the level of student engagement. That means no more internet networks
lagging and there should be technology-friendly classrooms that provide all student's
needs to use neared optimally.
Lastly, Internet Network Interruption. Internet Network Interruption has a negative
impact when using Nearpod. This can hinder students' ability to follow lessons, access
materials and participate in learning activities. Shared materials or features are hard to
access. It may lead to frustration and disrupt the learning flow. “poor internet connection
makes us frustrated. Just as I entered one room, it’s already shifted to another room”.
Sometimes I experienced my gadget’s loading because of poor internet connection.”
When poor internet connection occurred, it’s hard for me to participate in answering
questions, doing assignments organized through Nearpod” Difficulties that are
continuously experienced because of poor internet connection resulted in inconvenience
and frustration for both teacher and students. It reduces students’ focus and motivation to
learn grammar.
Conclusion
From the presentation of the findings and discussion above, it concluded that the
use of Nearpod indeed increased student engagement in grammar lessons. It can be seen
by observing the number of students who ask questions, collaborate with fellow students,
discuss in groups, and contribute to doing their assignments. Students felt enthusiastic
and motivated to learn and dared to take the initiative. Student engagement is also
characterized by a high level of focus on the learning material to understand the subject
matter presented.
Students’ engagement is also indicated by a deep understanding as they can connect
the learned concepts with previous knowledge and apply them in relevant contexts.
Students are also engaged emotionally because they feel personally connected to the
material and are increasingly familiar with the features of Nearpod. Students' engagement
in learning is inseparable from the way students consider themselves in the learning
process as active subjects. It means by learning, students develop themselves further to
know more, comprehend more, and reap appropriate values that are closely related to
their daily lives. In the end, the learning process becomes a very valuable experience
throughout their lives because by learning, students can continue to grow, develop, and
advance to the edge of their limits, challenge and break them to then expand the horizons
of their thinking and life.
Exploring Students' Experience of Using Nearpod in Grammar Lesson about Students’
Increased Engagement: A Descriptive Qualitative Approach
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2024 3121
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