Indonesian English Language Teaching Research Articles

Barriers and Strategies in Implementing Innovative and Collaborative Learning: A Case of Indonesian English Language Teaching

Barriers and Strategies in Implementing Innovative and Collaborative Learning: A Case of Indonesian English Language Teaching

Is Indonesia's ELT Implementation Already Aligned with the Concept of 21st Century Language Teaching?

The 21st century demands that students acquire the 4C’s skills so that they can face future challenges. In that case, English teachers have to select particular teaching methods or techniques to assist the students in sharpening their 4C skills. Therefore, to make the teaching relevant and effective, teachers should understand the notion of 21st-century language teaching and implement particular teaching methods and strategies that suit their needs. This research is aimed at examining if English language teaching in Indonesia has turned to the ideas of 21st-century education based on the student’s point of view. To seek the answer, this research employed a descriptive-qualitative approach. There were 58 secondary student participants from public and private schools. A survey, documents, and FGD were used as the instruments to collect the data. The data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that many of our English language teaching practices in Indonesia were still conducted with a teacher-centered approach, focused on language components rather than sharpening their holistic knowledge, and rarely integrated with technology. In conclusion, based on the students’ perspectives, ELT in their schools has not tuned to the notion of 21st-century education. It was indicated by three reasons discussed in the study. Keywords: ELT; Language; Learning; Perspectives; Students; Teaching.

Curriculum Approaches in English Language Teaching in Indonesia

This study used library research research methods to investigate curriculum approaches in English language teaching in Indonesia. The purpose of this study is to identify curriculum approaches commonly used in English language teaching in Indonesia and to understand how these approaches shape teaching methods and strategies applied in language classrooms. In this study, the author conducted a comprehensive literature review of relevant literature, including textbooks, research journals, articles, and education policies related to English language teaching in Indonesia. The data collected were analyzed qualitatively to identify curriculum approaches commonly used in the context of English language teaching in Indonesia. The results of this study show that some curriculum approaches commonly used in English teaching in Indonesia include content-based approaches, communicative approaches, task-based approaches, and grammar-based approaches. The selection of this curriculum approach is based on the goals and objectives of the program, as well as the needs and interests of learners. In conclusion, in Indonesia, English teaching is influenced by various curriculum approaches, which shape the methods and strategies applied in language classes. The choice of curriculum approach in English language teaching depends on the goals and objectives of the program, as well as the needs and interests of learners. Different approaches can be used in combination to create a comprehensive and effective language learning experience so that language learners can easily master the language in a formal setting.

Broken Textbooks, Booming Tech: A Systematic Look at Blended Learning's Impact on Indonesian English Language Teaching

Technology integration in education has brought immense changes in the teaching approach worldwide, including in English Language Teaching (ELT) in Indonesia. A literature review substantiates the argument that integrating the traditional pedagogical approach with web-enhanced learning methodologies presents a practical mode of delivering English Language Teaching (ELT) in Indonesia. It synthesizes findings from diverse studies on the effectiveness, challenges, and strategies of implementing blended learning in an Indonesian setting. The review highlights how blended learning can accommodate various styles of learning, be more flexible in offering access to resources, and be conducive to the delivery of interactive and engaging learning environments. However, it also identifies that while these infrastructures remain limited, digital literacy is not booming yet, and resistance to change still plays a big role. The proposed solutions span government infrastructure support, professional development of teachers on technology integration, and a strategy suggesting the gradual transition stage by stage into the era of blended learning. Conclusively, this research concludes that even with the challenges surrounding it, blended learning offers a viable alternative to enhance quality and access to ELT in Indonesia. It also provides insight for policymakers, educators, and researchers about the future roadmap of education in the digital era.

TEACHER’S BELIEFS IN EFL WRITING INSTRUCTION: A CASE STUDY OF AN ENGLISH LECTURER AT PADANG STATE POLYTECHNIC

Investigating a teacher's beliefs in language teaching is something that needs to be explored. Especially in teaching EFL Writing, examining language teacher beliefs is interested because it can be a benchmark for educators on how EFL Writing teaching happens. In addition, teacher beliefs will also help teachers and learners understand the process of learning. There have been many studies on teacher beliefs towards various English language teaching in Indonesia. However, most of these studies discuss teacher beliefs at the high school level. There is a lack of research on teacher beliefs at the university level. This study focuses on teacher beliefs research on EFL Writing teachers at the university student level. This research used a qualitative method with a case study research design. Observation and in-depth interviews are the instruments of this research. The object of the research is an experienced lecturer at Padang State Polytechnic who has been teaching EFL Writing for approximately 11 years. The results of this study show that the lecturer has several teacher beliefs that he believes to be the basic principles in teaching EFL writing. In addition, in the classroom practice, the lecturer used explicit teaching strategy in teaching EFL Writing. Although there are some difficulties faced by the lecturer in his teaching.

THE IMPACT OF NATIVE SPEAKERISM ON THE IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION OF ‘ENGLISH TEACHER AS AN ENGLISH SPEAKER’: VOICES FROM INDONESIA

Some non-native English speaker teachers have trouble constructing the identity of an English speaker in their professional practice, although they have spent years in formal educational institutions to learn and teach the language. In the context of Indonesian English language teaching, the topic of whether the proliferation of native speaker standards contributes to the battle is one that is rarely investigated. As a result, the goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of native speakerism on the construction of English speaker identity among Indonesian teachers of English. In this particular research project, the participants consisted of two female English teachers who worked at different senior high schools in Aceh, Indonesia. Life-history interviews and teacher journals serve as the research instruments, and the discursive perspective on identity serves as the theoretical underpinning for this study. Through the use of thematic analysis, this study found that the participants struggled to construct the identity of an English teacher as an English speaker due to the belief that a native English speaker is an ideal English speaker.

A Study on EFL Teacher Strategies in Utilizing ICT for Regional Public Highschool of Indonesia

This mixed-methods study investigates the strategies employed by EFL teachers in integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into their teaching practices within a regional public high school in Indonesia. By employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, the study draws upon a sample of teachers' perspectives via structured interviews and questionnaire responses. The English teachers of SMA Negeri 1 Maros were involved as the subject of the Research. The findings reveal that teachers utilize a range of ICT tools, such as LCD/LED projectors, PowerPoint presentations, audio-visual technologies, and radio broadcasts, with the primary aim of enhancing teaching efficacy and student engagement. The data suggests that the use of ICT significantly influences student comprehension and learning outcomes, with pupils demonstrating an accelerated understanding of material when taught via ICT-based methodologies. Therefore, the study provides valuable insights into the role of ICT in English language teaching in Indonesia, particularly shedding light on teachers' ICT utilization strategies and the impacts on student learning outcomes. These findings may inform future policy and practice in education, potentially guiding initiatives for ICT integration in the wider context of language education.

EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING IN INDONESIA: A MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR GREATER LEARNER AUTONOMY

The sudden switch to learning from home during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted teachers across the world. In Indonesia, schools were closed from early March 2020 onwards. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research project that investigated how Indonesian teachers of English responded to the challenges of Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) and whether ERT would lead to greater learner autonomy. Ten teachers responded to an invitation to participate in focus groups and individual interviews on Zoom and to contribute examples of their lesson plans from the lockdown period. All teachers found that WhatsApp was the most efficient and effective platform for remote teaching, allowing synchronous and asynchronous sharing of audio, video and text-based materials. Despite the challenges of poor connectivity and lack of face-to-face contact, the teachers were able to continue involving their students actively in integrated, communicative tasks that pushed them to extend their communicative competence. Unexpectedly, however, the move to online teaching did not herald a shift towards greater learner autonomy. The data from this research shows that English language teaching in Indonesia is still firmly teacher-controlled despite the affordances of online learning.

NATIVE-CENTEREDNESS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING MATERIALS: A MULTIMODAL CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON INDONESIAN ELT TEXTBOOKS’ COVER

This is a multimodal critical discourse analysis of three Indonesian English language teaching textbooks. The study focused on the representation of the visuals on the cover to describe English as an International Language paradigm in Indonesia. This study was a qualitative study where the data were presented in the form of a narrative story. The researcher also employed themes to answer the research questions. The result showed that the orientation of English language teaching in Indonesia was native-centeredness where correctness was the focus of the process. Meanwhile, the practice would not prepare the student to have cross-cultural communication where English was used as the Lingua Franca. The result was likely to be in accordance with the latest study on Indonesian teachers’ perspective of the EIL paradigm which showed reluctance.

English Language Teaching in Indonesia: Monolingual and Multilingual Practices

21st century urges one’s ability to tacitly navigate the increasingly complex linguistic spaces of this modern world and it results in super diverse society (Gallagher, 2020). Kachru’s (1986, as cited in Wardhaugh & Fuller, 2015) arrives with the conceptual framework named world of Englishes. It becomes such pivotal consideration to drive today’s language ideology, including Indonesian. This literature review then aims at unveiling Indonesian EFL teachers’ views about monolingual and multilingual practices by capitalizing English language teaching classroom as the context. Data were derived from relevant research reports that meet the criteria. Criteria comes in threefold. They were conducted in any range of time, were obtained from catch-all indexing, and were done in Indonesian setting. The findings come in agreement that both monolingualism and multilingualism yielded two camps: justifying it and rejecting it in Indonesian EFL context. Implication is then needed to further validate it in accordance with empirical research’s result.

Critical Discourse Analysis: English as It Is Learned and Treated in Asia

The English language teaching in Indonesia and some other ASEAN countries seem problematic. It can be seen from the low English proficiency of many school graduates despite years of learning English. Therefore, in the recent years, there has been a need of a new breakthrough in the English curriculum by considering local cultures and values so the English taught in schools is more contextual, practical and suits the local needs and usage. The curriculum is expected to reflect the English norms as a lingua franca in Asia, and not imposing native speakerism. This paper analyzes a newspaper article discussing how English is learned and treated in Asia, which was published in the Jakarta Globe, a popular local English newspaper. The analysis seeks further understanding on the discursive field of English, particularly in Asian context. Using Fairclough’s (2001) framework encompassing three stages (description - interpretation – explanation), this paper analyzes both macro and microstructure of the texts. The macrostructure is dealing with the ideology constructed in the texts, while the microstructure comprises the formal property or linguistic components. With these definitions, this critical discourse analysis (CDA) looks to find connections between microstructures of the text and the macro structures of social institutions and societies where the texts are distributed and consumed. From these three stages of critical discourse analysis, it was found that English is often portrayed as a prestigious language by using specific labels and metaphors. Besides, the ideology of “standard” and “monolithic view” of English is commonly imposed, and thus influences the English language teaching in Asia.

English as a Lingua Franca: Perceptions of Indonesian Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) on English Pronunciation and Accents Identity

<p>The research examines how Indonesian non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) perceive various English accents including Indonesian English speakers around them and their English accents as well in terms of native or non-native viewed from the lens of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). In addition, the research also investigates how they perceive pronunciation identity reflected in their English accents. Qualitative methods were employed by using written online interviews. The participants consisted of five (5) Indonesian NNESTs whose English teaching experiences range from 10 to 32 years in universities in Jakarta. They were asked about their perception of accents and their colleagues’ accents and EFL practice in Indonesian English language teaching, especially in their environment where English is expected as the <em>lingua franca</em> of communication. The data were collected using written semi-structured interviews through email and speaking tests recorded through WhatsApp and analyzed using interpretivism adapted from the approach of phenomenology<strong> </strong>in teaching English. The result reveals their acceptance of being identified as belonging to a particular ethnicity or nationality due to salient characteristics of their accents as part of pronunciation identity. In addition, the result also shows acceptance of varied accents worldwide, yet they also unconsciously show their preference for American and British accents if they could choose to do so.</p>

An Evaluation of English Language Teaching in Indonesian Schools

This study discusses the planning, implementation, and assessment processes of English language teaching based on the national curriculum of Indonesia. Evaluative research was conducted using the CIPP model, which stands for context, input, process, and product. The subjects of this study were 30 English teachers from 15 schools in three municipalities in Central Java Province, Indonesia. Data were collected through interviews, questionnaires, and surveys. There are four variables in this research with six sub-variables (school policy, lesson plan, resources and learning facilities, media selection, teaching phases, and assessment). The results of the study show that learning English in both public and private schools has been going well at all levels. The authors recommend that while making a policy on English language teaching in Indonesia, two aspects must be considered – an English learning program based on the applicable curriculum and an extracurricular English learning program.
 Keywords: English Language Teaching (ELT), national curriculum

English Language Teaching in Indonesia in the 21st Century: What Needs Reinforcing and Enhancing for the Teachers

English has been the first foreign language taught in the secondary schools in Indonesia since 1946, a year after its independence in 1945, which means that the teaching of English as a foreign language (TEFL) in Indonesia has run for almost 75 years. As the world has experienced the Industrial Revolution 4.0 since 2011 with its three principal characteristics that lie greatly on the employment of technology: innovation, automation, and information transfer, some reinforcement and enhancement need to be taken for the teachers of English to adjust with the current development, which basically centres upon the teachers’ professional and pedagogic competences. The former includes the proficiency of the four English language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing (language performance), and the mastery of the four English language components: grammar, vocabulary, spelling and pronouncing systems (language competence). The latter includes the theories of learning from the perspectives of functional- physiological, behaviouristic, cognitive/gestalt, and constructive-humanistic psychology and the insight and knowledge of innovative learning, such as digital learning, blended learning, and neuro-science-based learning. Furthermore, the latter also includes the knowledge of contemporary learning theories or alternative learning theories, such as transformative learning, disruptive learning, connectivism learning, and multiple intelligences theories. English teachers equipped with the content of the two competences can most likely face the challenges and changes of the 21st century.
 Keywords: professional and pedagogic competences, learning theories, contemporary learning theories

A Systematic Review of Online ELT Research in Indonesia During the COVID-19 Pandemic Through the Community of Inquiry Framework

Aim/Purpose: This study attempts to provide a thorough review on online English Language Teaching (ELT) research in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of presenting best practices of online ELT classes for the future blended or hybrid learning scenario. To operationalize the “best practices” of online learning, the Community of Inquiry framework was used as the guiding perspective. Background: There is a dearth of research employing a systematic review of English Language Teaching (“ELT”) practices in Indonesia carried out during the pandemic, with a view of synthesizing such practices. Such a review is deemed essential in order to provide a comprehensive description of good practices in online English classes, such as in terms of integrating technology into the ELT virtual classes, taking advantage of the experience gained from approximately more than two years of Emergency Remote Learning in the country. Methodology: This study employed the Research Review methodology, with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) 2020 to guide the process. Database (Google Scholar and Scopus) search was conducted to find research articles in English on ELT during the pandemic in Indonesia, excluding those that are conceptual in nature. The final list of 94 articles was then coded using the categories in the Community of Inquiry (“CoI”) framework, namely, Teaching, Cognitive, and Social Presence. Inter-rater reliability was computed to assess the risk of bias of the two reviewers. The resulting data, in the form of pieces of “evidence” of the CoI categories, were tabulated and described. Contribution: This research has contributed to providing a synthesis of online ELT teaching practice in Indonesia during the pandemic, specifically in describing the way teachers enacted the Teaching, Cognitive, and Social Presence online through the use of technology. This paper also describes how such deployment of technology should be accompanied by a selective choice of activities and explicit guidance from teachers, as well as teachers’ supportive attitude. Consequently, this study is probably among the first to carry out a systematic review of emergency online ELT practice during the pandemic from the CoI perspective, addressing a methodological gap of extant online ELT systematic review studies. Findings: The results show that Teaching Presence constituted the highest number of pieces of evidence, with a caveat that the application of technology should be combined with clear instruction and task requirements. Next, Cognitive Presence needs to be fostered through activities that promote problem solving and critical thinking, such as online discussions, problem- or project-based learning, and self-reflection. Lastly, teachers need to make use of technologies to convey genuine concern for students and create a warm and friendly online environment as part of teaching activities that build Social Presence, although some affective expressions will need to be managed well to prevent some possible undesirable effects. Recommendations for Practitioners: English teachers in Indonesia, or elsewhere with a similar context to that in the country, can gain insights on the good practice of online learning in terms of teaching methods, media, platforms, assessments, etc. Besides, the online English teaching practices can also inform pre- and in-service teacher education programs, so as to provide technology integration training that has already been tried and empirically tested. Recommendation for Researchers: For future research, the seemingly fewer pieces of evidence found in Cognitive and Social Presence might be fertile ground for Indonesian ELT scholars to carry out research focusing on those aspects. Much research outside of Indonesia has been conducted around the theme of the application of CoI principles in online English classes, while only a few studies in this respect have been found in the Indonesian context. Impact on Society: The findings of this study may help inform educational policies with regards to blended/hybrid or restricted face-to-face meetings in schools. Future Research: This paper has contributed to exemplifying the application of CoI framework as a tool of systematic review in research. Hence, in view of the impending blended, hybrid, or limited face-to-face learning, this type of CoI-framed systematic review research can be replicated in the future to assess the effectiveness of such blended or hybrid teaching mode. Besides, future research could also inquire whether ELT teachers sustain the use of technology in the post-pandemic, on-site learning.

Task-Based Language Teaching; Potential Benefits and Possible Criticisms in Indonesian Contexts

<span id="docs-internal-guid-dec9ea4f-7fff-dcae-85e9-c7df6f7493d8"><span>The primary aim of English language teaching in Indonesia is to equip Indonesian students with communicative competence in English. However, due to the prevalent utilisation of traditional student-centered approaches that accentuates linguistic structural properties as well as the lack of exposure to and usage of the target language in the classroom, research has found that Indonesian school graduates’ English communicative skills are still low. Very few students can deliver ideas, thoughts, and feelings through English as a medium of communication. This conceptual review article aims to promote the viabilities of task-based language teaching (TBLT) method to accelerate students’ communicative skills in Indonesia. Drawing on a wide range of theories and research findings, it critically explores some potential benefits as well as addresses some possible criticisms of employing TBLT in Indonesia. It argues that TBLT promotes natural learning, generates students’ intrinsic motivation, and develops language skill development that can lead the students to accelerate their communicative competence.</span></span>

The Challenges of English Language Teaching in Indonesia

The widespread use of English worldwide has brought about a significant impact for human beings to date. In the education sphere mainly, many studies have been conducted to discover the issues in English instruction. Moreover, English teachers in Indonesia were highly encouraged to figure out the best method to teach and cope with any problems encountered by the students to achieve the best learning outcomes. Besides, the government had also tried its best endeavors to accustom the curriculum to the needs in this globalization era. However, the results have not always been as expected since teachers and students possessed divergent points of view linked with the implementation of English language instruction. Therefore, this scientific literature review discussed some issues related to English which included; English in Indonesia, English Language Teaching for Education, Teachers’ Strategies to English Language Teaching, Problems of English Language Teaching, and Students’ Perceptions towards English Language Teaching. Furthermore, the main aim of this paper was to acknowledge to the readers that the teachers and students essentially require English due to its crucial role in the development of Education in Indonesia.

Professional Teaching and Learning Effectiveness: A Case of English Language Teaching in Indonesia

This study aims to find out the effectiveness of teacher professional learning (PL) as an effort to increase English language teaching quality in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It used descriptive qualitative and quantitative case study approach to find about the continuous learning and development activities. Data were derived from questionnaire, observation, and semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that in-service training program is considered effective for sharing knowledge, skills and information among English language teachers. The findings also revealed that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) should be learned in-depth during professional learning activities. In addition, the respondents perceived Subject Teacher’s Meeting or teacher study groups as an effective collaborative model of professional learning activities. This study suggests that the need to involve English language teachers in a training at least once a year as an effort to help them gain new insight and experience in the acquisition of new knowledge and skills and to experience in solving problems both at school and outside school.

Intercultural Topics in the Indonesian English Language Teaching Classroom: Contextualizing Local and Neutral Cultures to Target and Global Cultures

Recently, there has been a phenomenon of reclaiming cultures other than those of the target language in English language teaching (ELT). This qualitative research explores intercultural topics in Indonesian ELT classrooms that are shown along with the target and global cultures. The research involves four English teachers from two Indonesian universities who have intercultural experience studying in universities overseas. Data were collected through observational fieldnotes, interview guides, audio recordings, and compilation of documents. The study reveals that local and neutral culture topics have functioned as templates to contextualize target and global cultures in Indonesian ELT classrooms in order to develop students’ intercultural awareness of local, target, and global cultures.

Changes in Indonesian EFL Lecturers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) After Lesson Study

It is probably fair to say that English language teaching in Indonesia’s universities has not seen significant success. Plethora of studies reported that the most common problem found in college English teaching is unskilled lecturers including the lack of integrating technology into their teaching. In fact, in this digital era, an ideal English lecturer has to have deep understanding of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) to create effective teaching. Therefore special treatment is needed to upgrade their knowledge and Lesson Study is believed to be the impactful professional development on teachers’ knowledge. This article reports on a case study regarding changes on three English lecturers’ TPACK after engaging in Lesson Study project. Those lecturers were voluntarily recruited for the case study. The findings show that Lesson Study broadened English lecturers knowledge of content, pedagogy, technology and the combination of these domains.