Indonesian university teachers' views on their autonomy in using Moodle for English language teaching

Indah Werdiningsih
Universitas Muhammadiyah Jember, Indonesia
Yazid Basthomi, Nur Mukminatien and Nurenzia Yannuar
Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia

The ubiquity of Moodle and similar learning management systems has transformed education, offering opportunities for personalised and adaptive learning. Moodle enables teachers to customise instructional materials and methods to meet diverse student needs. Despite its potential, limited research has explored how teachers use Moodle to exercise autonomy in teaching. This study investigates how teachers utilise Moodle, a well-known learning management system, to practice autonomy in contemporary education. Using a case study approach, we examine eight teachers and the English courses they teach at a university in East Java, Indonesia. Data were collected through a Moodle analytic framework to analyse usage patterns, and open-ended questionnaires to capture teachers' experiences. Thematic analysis revealed that teachers use Moodle to customise resources, create interactive lessons, design collaborative activities, and implement flexible assessments. Teachers valued the flexibility offered by Moodle, which enabled diverse teaching strategies and personalised learning. However, challenges such as technological issues and restrictive institutional policies hindered its full potential. Our research highlights the role of Moodle in fostering teacher autonomy while emphasising the need for technical training and professional development to address barriers. By overcoming these challenges, teachers can better utilise Moodle to support innovative, student-centred learning.
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Authors: Dr Indah Werdiningsih (corresponding author) is a faculty member in English Language Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jember, Indonesia. She teaches courses on English language acquisition and pedagogy, with research interests in teacher and learner autonomy, technology-enhanced language learning, EFL teaching strategies, and speaking proficiency enhancement. Dedicated to integrating innovative teaching methods and leveraging technology, she aims to enhance the language learning experience. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7185-3145 Email: indah_andin@unmuhjember.ac.id Professor Dr Yazid Basthomi is a professor in the Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia. He earned his PhD in English Language Teaching from Universitas Negeri Malang and holds an MA in Applied Linguistics from Curtin University of Technology, Australia. His research interests include English language teaching (ELT), applied linguistics, and educational technology. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3314-3334 Email: ybasthomi@um.ac.id Professor Dr Nur Mukminatien is a professor in the Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia. She holds a PhD in English Language Teaching from Universitas Negeri Malang and an MPd in the same field. Her research focuses on ELT, writing instruction, and language assessment. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9031-5174 Email: nur.mukminatien.fs@um.ac.id Dr Nurenzia Yannuar is a faculty member in the Department of English, Faculty of Letters, at Universitas Negeri Malang. She earned her PhD in Linguistics from Leiden University, Netherlands, in October 2019. Her research focuses on sociolinguistics, particularly youth language practices, and she has published extensively on topics such as Bòsò Walikan Malangan, a local linguistic practice in Malang. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5974-6072 Email: nurenzia.yannuar.fs@um.ac.id Please cite as: Werdiningsih, I., Basthomi, Y., Mukminatien, N. & Yannuar, N. (2025). Indonesian university teachers' views on their autonomy in using Moodle for English language teaching. Issues in Educational Research, 35(3), 1289-1307. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/werdiningsih-2.pdf