Analysis of the Indonesian Language Proficiency Test of Muhammadiyah Vocational High School Students in Sukabumi - Jurnal Onoma Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Vol. 11 No. 4 2025

Sep 4, 2026

This study analyzes Indonesian language proficiency of students at Muhammadiyah Vocational High School (SMK) Sukabumi using the Indonesian Language Proficiency Test (UKBI). Prior work has emphasized reading only, while this research covers overall competence and differences across listening, grammatical response, and reading domains, plus factors affecting UKBI results. Using a quantitative descriptive design with 46 students and a paper-based manual UKBI, findings show most students in Intermediate (60.87%) and Marginal (17.39%) categories. Listening is stronger than reading and grammatical response. Influences include motivation, literacy exposure, teaching methods, social background, and everyday language use.

LanguageEnglish

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Copyright © the author(s) Jurnal Onoma: Pendidikan, Bahasa dan Sastra, Vol. 11, No. 4, 2025 Analysis of the Indonesian Language Proficiency Test of Muhammadiyah Vocational High School Students in Sukabumi Hera Wahdah Humaira ¹ Asep Firdaus² 12Muhammadiyah University ofSukabumi ¹[hera297@ummi.ac.id](hera297@ummi.ac.id)[ ](hera297@ummi.ac.id)²[asepfirdaus@ummi.ac.id](asepfirdaus@ummi.ac.id) Abstract This study aims to analyze the Indonesian language proficiency of students at Muhammadiyah Vocational High School (SMK) Sukabumi through the Indonesian Language Proficiency Test (UKBI) . Previous studies have mainly focused only on reading proficiency at the senior high school level, whereas this research covers overall language competence, differences in performance across the domains of listening, grammatical response, and reading, the factors influencing test results, and their relevance to Indonesian language learning needs at the vocational level. This research employed a quantitative descriptive method, involving 46 students as participants. Data were collected through a manual UKBI using a paper-based test format. The results show that the majority of students fall into the Intermediate (Semenjana) category (60.87%) and Marginal category (17.39%), while only 6.52% achieved the Excellent (Unggul) level. Domain analysis revealed that listening skills were relatively stronger, while reading and grammatical response skills were lower. Factors influencing performance included learning motivation, literacy exposure, teaching methods, social background, and everyday language use. This study highlights the importance of implementing literacy-based learning and practical language use to improve the language competence of vocational students. Keywords: UKBI; language competence; literacy; vocational high school (SMK) Introduction The Indonesian language plays a central role in Indonesia’s education system, particularly as the main medium of communication used in various aspects of life, including the workplace and higher education. At the Vocational High School (SMK) level, mastery of the Indonesian language becomes increasingly crucial, as SMK is designed to prepare students to directly enter the workforce. Therefore, Indonesian language learning in SMK is specifically designed to develop language skills that are both practical and relevant to students’ professional needs. In this context, the Indonesian Language Proficiency Test (UKBI) holds significant relevance for vocational students. UKBI serves as an objective assessment tool to determine a person’s proficiency in the four main language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The advantage of UKBI over conventional forms of assessment lies in its ability to measure functional and contextual language competence according to realworld communication needs. For SMK students, this ability is key to success in facing the industrial and professional world (IDUKA), which demands professional communication skills, both oral and written. Furthermore, UKBI results can serve as a reference for teachers in designing more effective, contextual, and competence-oriented Indonesian language learning strategies. Thus, research on the implementation or analysis of UKBI results in the SMK environment has high relevance, as it can directly contribute to improving the quality of Indonesian [https://e-journal.my.id/onoma](https://e-journal.my.id/onoma) 4427 Vol. 11, No. 4, 2025 ISSN 2443-3667(print) 2715-4564 (online) language learning based on workplace demands. This research is also expected to strengthen the position of the Indonesian language, not only as a compulsory subject but also as a professional communication competency that supports the competitiveness of SMK graduates in the industrial and professional sectors. Vocational students, who are prepared to become skilled workers, need not only a theoretical understanding of the Indonesian languag

FAQs

What assessment tool does the study use to measure students’ Indonesian language proficiency?

The study uses the Indonesian Language Proficiency Test (UKBI) to assess language proficiency in key skills and related domains.

What proficiency categories do most students achieve in the UKBI results?

Most students fall into the Intermediate (Semenjana) category (60.87%) and the Marginal category (17.39%), while only 6.52% reach the Excellent (Unggul) level.

Which language domains are stronger or weaker based on the domain analysis?

Listening skills are relatively stronger, while reading and grammatical response skills are lower.

Sep 4, 2026

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