Open Conference Systems, Language and Language Teaching Conference 2023

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ON PUZZLING TEENAGE LEARNERS’ BEHAVIOR: BRAIN DEVELOPMENT, NEEDS, AND USEFUL STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THEIR MOTIVATION AND ENGAGEMENT
Maria Peny Ratnaningganadi

Last modified: 2023-10-23

Abstract


World Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescence as a stage of life between 10 to 19 years old, “a unique stage of human development” (Adolescent Health, 2023). While some language teachers or instructors are very keen on teaching learners in this age group, others found working with teenage learners challenging. For most teenagers, hanging out with their peers is more exciting than working in class. “They also generally find it rather difficult to postpone what they find more fun and usually have to make an effort not to fall asleep” (de Gentile and de Orue, 2012). The root of these puzzling teenage behaviors may lie in the maturing development of teenage brain. Through library study, this paper discusses brain development teenage learners undergo, their needs following this condition, and some useful classroom strategies to accommodate those needs and to improve their engagement in English class.


Keywords


teenage learners, English learning, brain development, motivation and engagement, needs