EXPLORING GEN ALPHA STUDENTS’ LIVED EXPERIENCES IN DEVELOPING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

Nena Akmalia Arroudloh, Junaidi Mistar, Muhammad Yunus

Abstract


Gen Alpha grew up within a highly digitized ecosystem filled with diverse forms of English usage, including social media, online video platforms, digital games, and interactive educational applications. Their immersive interactions with these technologies have cultivated unique perspectives and approaches to mastering spoken English. While there is growing recognition of Gen Alpha’s interest in English learning, much remains to be understood regarding how their motivations shape specific speaking strategies amidst a shifting technological landscape. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Gen Alpha learners in secondary education in Malang, focusing on the primary factors driving their motivation and the learning strategies they employ to hone their oral communication skills. Employing a qualitative phenomenological design, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with three purposely selected Gen Alpha learners aged 12–15 years and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed three distinct motivational trajectories: intrinsic-media driven, familial-habitual, and achievement-oriented environmental drives. To enhance speaking skills, participants deployed a combination of cognitive strategies (contextual sentence construction, shadowing, and song lyrics repetition), metacognitive regulation, and social interaction strategies (family conversations, peer practice in English clubs, and tutor-guided evaluation). Technology-enhanced exposure served as a continuous catalyst for spontaneous oral practice. The study concludes that integrating digital media exposure, metacognitive self-regulation, and supportive social environments creates a robust framework for fostering oral communicative competence among Generation Alpha EFL learners.

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