<![CDATA[Generation Alpha learners bring distinctive digital habits and expectations to English language learning, while teachers face increasing challenges in integrating technology into classroom practice. This study investigates the perspectives of Generation Alpha students and English teachers in urban junior high schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and examines the convergence and divergence in their perspectives to inform an interactive English teacher guide design. This convergent mixed-methods needs analysis involved 1,205 students, 61 English teachers, one school principal, and one English MGMP (Musyawarah Guru Mata Pelajaran, or Teacher Working Group) coordinator. Data in this study were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that students were digitally ready and preferred interactive, multimodal, and contextualized English learning supported by clear guidance and timely feedback. However, they engaged less frequently in independent language practices and speaking activities. Teachers expressed a strong need for practical, curriculum-aligned resources, including lesson templates, differentiated activities, authentic materials, and ready-to-use assessment tools. Students identified technological distractions, unclear instructions, and lengthy texts as the main learning barriers, whereas teachers emphasized low motivation, limited attention spans, and classroom management challenges. Despite these differences, both groups highlighted the importance of multimodal resources, scaffolded instruction, timely feedback, and clear assessment rubrics. Therefore, an effective teacher guide should incorporate multimodal and scaffolded learning, formative assessment, differentiated instruction, and low-bandwidth digital resources. By integrating students’ and teachers’ perspectives, this study provides an evidence-based foundation for developing contextually relevant instructional resources for Generation Alpha learners.]]>
