Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris untuk Lanjut Usia pada Sekolah Lansia BAHTERA
Abstract
Community service activities are one of the ways in which the Tri Dharma of Higher Education is put into practice, aiming to make a tangible contribution to improving the quality of life in the community. One group in particular that requires special attention is the elderly, especially as they face the challenges of global communication and literacy in the digital age. As a concrete manifestation of this, a community service activity themed “English for the Elderly” was held on 25 April 2026 as part of the Halal Bi Halal celebrations at the BAHTERA School for the Elderly, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya. This activity aimed to enhance the elderly’s motivation to learn, basic English communication skills, and social participation through a communicative and enjoyable learning approach. The implementation method utilised a participatory approach comprising the following stages: needs identification, delivery of materials, simple communication practice, educational games, and activity evaluation. Participants in the activity consisted of elderly individuals actively participating in the BAHTERA Elderly School programme.
The results of the programme indicate that participants showed great enthusiasm for learning basic English, particularly in relation to greetings, self-introductions, everyday conversation and simple vocabulary relevant to daily life. In addition to improving language skills, the programme also had a positive impact on the elderly participants’ self-confidence, social interaction and motivation for lifelong learning. An evaluation of the programme showed that interactive teaching methods and a humanistic approach were effective in creating a comfortable learning environment for the elderly. It is hoped that this activity will serve as a model for the development of community-based foreign language learning programmes for elderly groups in Indonesia.
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