GENDERED LANGUAGE PRACTICES AND IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION AMONG TERNATE YOUNG ADULTS: A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH EDUCATION AND YOUTH COMMUNICATION PATTERNS

Abstract

This research addresses the limited understanding of how gender identity intersects with multilingual language practices in Indonesian higher education, specifically examining the complex relationship between traditional gender norms and modern English education expectations among Ternate university students within digital learning environments. The study investigates how young adults in Ternate construct digital gender identity through strategic language choices across three linguistic systems: local Ternate language, Bahasa Indonesia, and English within academic contexts enhanced by Learning Management Systems (LMS). A mixed-methods research design was implemented, utilizing classroom observation, sociolinguistic interviews, and comprehensive LMS interaction analysis to collect data from 80 participants (aged 19-22) at Institut Sains dan Kependidikan (ISDIK) Kie Raha Maluku Utara over six months. Digital learning platforms provided crucial data sources, enabling analysis of asynchronous communication patterns and written language choices in virtual academic environments. Results demonstrate that gendered language practices in English education simultaneously reinforce, and challenge established gender norms across both physical and digital spaces. Through NVivo qualitative analysis, female students showed greater linguistic accommodation in formal English settings (coded frequency: 847 references across 23 nodes) and significantly higher engagement rates in LMS-based English activities, participating more frequently in discussion forums and submitting assignments using academic English registers. Male students exhibited increased resistance to code-switching behaviors (coded frequency: 623 references across 18 nodes) and lower participation in online English discussions within the LMS platform. NVivo thematic analysis revealed sophisticated digital identity negotiation strategies within postcolonial educational frameworks, with digital learning environments serving as additional spaces for gendered linguistic performance. The research contributes valuable insights into multilingual digital gender identity construction, demonstrating how young adults strategically navigate multiple linguistic repertoires across physical and virtual academic spaces.