ISSN 2657-1617 | 7 JELTIM Journal of English Language Teaching Innovations and Materials Volume 1 (1), April 2019 Using Magic Trick Problem-Based Activities to Engage FKIP UNTAN Students: A Classroom Action Research in Listening for General Communication Class Ikhsanudin Ikhsanudin, Sudarsono Sudarsono, Urai Salam Faculty of Teacher Training and Education; Universitas Tanjungpura – Indonesia ikhsanudin@fkip.untan.ac.id Abstract Students engagement is a crucial topic in the discussion of teaching and learning process quality, including in a tertiary level. The goal of this classroom action research is improving the engagement of the students in the English education department in a listening class through magic tricks problem-based activities. This research was conducted at the College of Teacher-Training and Education of Universitas Tanjungpura (FKIP UNTAN), Pontianak – Indonesia, in October-November 2018. The research was conducted in two cycles and the data were collected through participant observation. In three stages of analysis (initial coding, focused coding, and explanation), this research successfully i mproved the students engagement. The students’ engagement were improved substantially in the second cycle after the magic trick activities were combined with pair discussion, group discussion, and cross-group discussion. The magic trick problem-based activities was an important factor that could invite the students intellectual engagement. Whereas, the discussion activities improved the students emotional and behavioral engagement. The creative variation in the discussion stage had improved the students engagement considerably. Keywords Magic trick; problem-based; engagement; listening. 1. INTRODUCTION Amongst important students’ problem in classroom interactions is engagement. When the students are engaged, the classroom interaction will be vivid and enjoyable. Having vivid and enjoyable classroom interaction will optimize their learning. An expert defined students’ engagement as the interaction between students and their institution involving the time, effort and other relevant resources to optimize the student experience, improve students’ learning outcomes and development, and increase performance and reputation of the institution (Trowler, 2010). It has been developing since the mid-1990s (p.2). For any levels of education – from elementary school to higher education – it has a crucial role to make the lesson objective get achieved. However, it is widely known as well that student engagement is challenging. It is complicated to be attained and to be maintained. Nevertheless, it still needs to be managed for successful outcomes. This classroom action research was conducted to a Class A of Listening for General Communication Course at FKIP Untan in the academic year of 2017- 2018. The course was offered as a mandatory class to the first semester students which consisted of 24 students. All of the students newly graduated from senior high schools in different counties and cities in Kalimantan Barat. The class took place at the FKIP Language Laboratory twice a week time with each session was held for one hundred minutes. The setting of the lab was very conventional. All the students had to sit at the booth and faced the teacher’s console near a central white blackboard. Messy cables and not functioning booths were also conditions that never changed. To support the 24 students, the lab had only 20 booths but only half of them functioned. It was a challenge to teach listening in a nonfunctioning language lab to new students that had not known one another. At the beginning the students were excited about being new students of the most prestigious university in their province and the class took place in a language lab. It was more than exciting for them because not many of them ever seen a language lab. However, they felt the excitement only before trying using the lab. Even though in the interview most of them said they were happy to study in the listening lab, from observing their expression, the researcher could find that they were disappointed. As new students they tried to enjoy the class but starting in the second meeting Article received : March 06 th , 2019 Article accepted : March 29 th , 2019