Engaging Students in Learning Descriptive Text through Online Learning

Online learning is learning that takes place over the Internet. It uses electronic
media (usually a computer) for a variety of learning purposes to access the learning materials, to interact with the teacher and with other students. The objectives of this study were to describe the way the students engaged in learning Descriptive text through online teaching and to elaborate the reasons in engaging students in online learning grade VII of Junior High School students. A qualitative descriptive research design was applied. This study followed the theory of Young (2006) about the effectiveness ways of engaging students in online learning. The data of this study were collected by observation and in-depth interview techniques. Furthermore, the result of the study showed that there were seven ways to engage students in learning descriptive text through online learning. Those ways are: a) Adapting to student needs, b) Using meaningful examples, c) Motivating students to do their best, d) Facilitating the course effectively, e) Delivering a valuable course, f) Communicating effectively, and g) Showing concern for student learning. Besides, it found that the subject only has two reasons of engaging the students in learning through online; they are (1) the engagement is needed for cognitive development and (2) the engagement contributed on students' better understanding.