Avoiders and Embracers: Attitudes towards L1 Use by Indonesian EFL Student Teachers

Abstract

This study compares the attitudes of Indonesian student teachers to the use of Bahasa Indonesia (BI) in primary and secondary school English classrooms to that of the instructors in their teacher training programmes. It also examines the metacognitive orientations the student teachers have towards its use in their future teaching. Questionnaire responses by student teachers finishing their final-year practicum (N=75) from seven university programmes showed two distinct attitude sets toward BI use. Approximately 40% were ‘Avoiders’ who intended to use BI never or only occasionally, while another 20% were ‘Embracers’ who intended to use it regularly or often. There was a demonstrable relationship between the intended use and the practice and attitudes of the instructors the students had in the teacher training programme. Avoiders were more likely to have programme teachers who avoided BI use, while Embracers were the opposite. The student teachers also displayed a strong sense of agency in approaching future BI use. Although more explicit attention to the topic in the teacher training curriculum was welcomed, the majority also felt confident they could deal on their own with the challenges presented by future BI use. Potential effects on responses of practicum class size and school level were examined, but neither was significant. An important finding from the study for teacher training programmes is the effect, intentional or incidental, that teacher educator behaviour may play in shaping student teacher attitudes.