Journal of Islamic Science, Culture & Social Studies
Social Studies

Student Perceptions, English Reading Needs, and Learning Experiences in Inquiry-Based Blended ESP among Sharia Students

Yunika Triana1✉ , Pratomo Widodo2 , Kastam Syamsi3
1 Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta
23 Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
Download
PDF
Published
31-07-2026
Pages
172-181

Abstract

English reading is an important component of Islamic law education because it gives students access to international scholarship, legal terminology, and current debates on the subject. This study conducted a cross-sectional needs analysis of 271 students at the Faculty of Sharia of an Indonesian Islamic university. The dataset contained 43 complete four-point Likert items measuring the perceived value of English reading, self-assessed reading ability, career aspirations, preferences for inquiry-based methods, and preferences for online journal-based materials. The five dimensions showed high internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from .908 to .968. Career aspirations received the highest mean score (M = 3.30), whereas self-assessed reading ability received the lowest (M = 2.81), producing a .49-point gap on a four-point scale. Perceived value and journal-based material preferences were positively associated with self-assessed ability, whereas career aspirations showed a small negative association in the multivariable model. Welch’s tests found no significant differences between the English for Islamic Business Law and Literasi Digital classes. Interviews with four purposively selected students provided contextual accounts of journal reading, inquiries, and feedback. The results support an ESP curriculum that treats English reading as a faculty-wide need and uses inquiry, current journal articles, and staged reading support as design responses to that need.
Keywords: blended learning English reading ESP needs analysis inquiry-based learning Sharia students student perceptions

References

  1. Abduh, A., & Dunakhir, S. (2020). The challenges of learning english for accounting in an Indonesian University. Asian EFL Journal, 27(32), 162–176.
  2. Amelia, Y., & Putri, P. A. (2026). Developing intensive reading materials integrated with Islamic values for Sharia Faculty students. International Journal of English Learning and Applied Linguistics, 6(2), 232–245. https://doi.org/10.21111/ijelal.v6i2.15
  3. Bielousova, R. (2017). Developing materials for English for Specific Purposes online course within the blended learning concept. TEM Journal, 6(3), 637–642. https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM63-28
  4. Cao, X., Driscol, J., & Connor, U. (2022). Needs analysis and Legal English course design in pre-master of laws program: A case study in a U.S. university law school. The International Journal of Law, Language & Discourse, 10(1), 110–124. https://doi.org/10.56498/1012022341
  5. Cheng, G. (2022). Using the community of inquiry framework to support and analyse BYOD implementation in the blended EFL classroom. The Internet and Higher Education, 54, 100854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2022.100854
  6. Gil, V., & Dueñas, P. M. (2023). Designing and Implementing a Professional Programme for ICLHE Teachers: Beyond Linguistic and Communicative Competence. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 14(4), 1013–1022. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1404.19
  7. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate Data Analysis. Prentice Hall International.
  8. Hartig, A. J. (2016). Intersections between law and language: Disciplinary concepts in second language legal literacy. Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric, 45(1), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.1515/slgr-2016-0016
  9. Huang, H.-W., Mills, D. J., & Tiangco, J. A. N. Z. (2024). Inquiry-Based Learning and Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment in Flipped EFL Writing Instruction: Student Performance and Perceptions. SAGE Open, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241236663
  10. Iswati, L., & Triastuti, A. (2021). Voicing the challenges of esp teaching: Lessons from esp in non-english departments. Studies in English Language and Education, 8(1), 276–293. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.17301
  11. La, M. N. B. (2024). Leveraging case briefing to foster critical thinking skills of Legal English major students. The Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 12(2), 417–432. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP240322034L
  12. Luo, J., & Garner, M. (2017). The Challenges and Opportunities for English Teachers in Teaching ESP in China. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 8(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0801.10
  13. Makruf, I., Rifa’i, A. A., & Triana, Y. (2022). Moodle-based online learning management in higher education. International Journal of Instruction, 15(1), 135–152. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2022.1518a
  14. Medrea, N., & Rus, D. (2012). Challenges in Teaching ESP: Teaching Resources and Students’ Needs. Procedia Economics and Finance, 3, 1165–1169. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(12)00291-2
  15. Mežek, Š., McGrath, L., Negretti, R., & Berggren, J. (2021). Scaffolding L2 academic reading and self-regulation through task and feedback. TESOL Quarterly, 56(1), 41–67. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3018
  16. Mohamed, O. I., Aljadaan, O., & Al-Ani, N. N. (2024). Needs Analysis of English for Specific Purposes for Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at a University in the U.A.E. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 15(5), 1419–1431. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1505.04
  17. Nguyen, C. H. V., Pham, T. T., & Huynh, G. H. (2026). Metacognitive awareness of reading strategies in Legal English: A mixed-methods study of Vietnamese economic law students. International Journal of Linguistics and Translation Studies, 7(2), 143–156. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlts.v7i2.734
  18. Nhac, T. H. (2022). Difficulties in Legal English reading comprehension to English-majored students at Hanoi Law University. VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 38(5), 92–104. https://doi.org/10.25073/2525-2445/vnufs.4735
  19. Nicolaou, A. (2022). Implementing Inquiry-Based and Online Mentoring in a Social Entrepreneurship Project. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Including Subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), 13517 LNCS, 347–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22131-6_27
  20. Ošmjanski, V. (2022). Teaching ESP Online: A Guide to Innovation in the Aftermath of the Covid-19 Crisis. International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education, 10(3), 149–154. https://doi.org/10.23947/2334-8496-2022-10-3-149-154
  21. Poedjiastutie, D., & Oliver, R. (2017). English learning needs of ESP learners: Exploring stakeholder perceptions at an Indonesian university. TEFLIN Journal, 28(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v28i1/1-21
  22. Raharjo, D. H., Mayuni, I., & Lustyantie, N. (2020). Syllabus design for english for secretaries based on indonesian national qualification framework. Asian ESP Journal, 16, 58–73. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85099958647&partnerID=40&md5=4597c6d92fee2ef84d3acfb8f2930454
  23. Reiber-Kuijpers, M., Kral, M., & Meijer, P. (2021). Digital reading in a second or foreign language: A systematic literature review. Computers & Education, 163, 104115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104115
  24. Richards, J. C. (2001). Curriculum development in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
  25. Rizal, S., Susanto, F., Maryam, M., & Frasandy, R. N. (2025). Implementation of English for Specific Purposes through Content and Language Integrated Learning in Indonesian Islamic Higher Education. Asian Journal of Human Services, 29, 242–256. https://doi.org/10.14391/ajhs.29.242
  26. Rohmawati, C., Jannah, D. L., & Yuningsih. (2025). Perception of legal students in State Islamic University of Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten on English for specific purposes: English requirement and materials. Premise: Journal of English Education and Applied Linguistics, 14(1), 164–186. https://doi.org/10.24127/pj.v14i1.11330
  27. Rokhyati, U. (2013). Teaching English at Higher Education in Indonesia: Searching for Usefulness. Proceedings of ISELT FBS Universitas Negeri Padang, 1(1), 2013. http://ejournal.unp.ac.id/index.php/selt/article/download/6793/5332
  28. Susanti, A., & Putri, U. T. (2025). From regulation to instruction: Embedding Legal English in Indonesian law schools through ESP. Bahastra, 45(2), 310–324. https://doi.org/10.26555/bs.v45i2.1659
  29. Tessuto, G. (2015). Generic structure and rhetorical moves in English-language empirical law research articles: Sites of interdisciplinary and interdiscursive cross-over. English for Specific Purposes, 37, 13–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2014.06.002
  30. Triana, Y., Widodo, P., Syamsi, K., & Ikhwan, M. (2026). Enhancing ESP students' reading comprehension and critical thinking through research articles: Students' perspective. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 14(2), 913–936. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v14i2.2593
  31. Vaske, J. J., Beaman, J., & Sponarski, C. C. (2017). Rethinking Internal Consistency in Cronbach’s Alpha. Leisure Sciences, 39(2), 163–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2015.1127189
  32. West, R. (1994). Needs analysis in language teaching. Language Teaching, 27(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444800007527

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© 2026 Yunika Triana, Pratomo Widodo, Kastam Syamsi

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Indexing & Citations

How to Cite

Triana, Y., Widodo, P., & Syamsi, K. (2026). Student Perceptions, English Reading Needs, and Learning Experiences in Inquiry-Based Blended ESP among Sharia Students. Ascarya: Journal of Islamic Science, Culture, and Social Studies, 6(1), 172-181. https://doi.org/10.53754/bsscwx31
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Similar Articles

11-20 of 88

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.