Indonesian EFL Teachers’ Beliefs about Incorporating Cultural Aspects in Their Multilingual and Multicultural EFL Classrooms
Abstract
The inseparability between language and culture makes the provision of target language cultures (TLC) compulsory in a foreign language (FL) education. However, due to the global use of English dominated by non-native speakers (NNS) and the need to protect local cultures, conformity to English native speaker (NS) cultures in Indonesian English as a foreign language (EFL) context may be viewed as inappropriate. Influenced by their beliefs, determining whose cultures to present in multilingual and multicultural Indonesian EFL classrooms thus could become a source of tension among Indonesian EFL practitioners. To avoid potential conflicts, a study revealing the practitioners’ beliefs about delivering cultural aspects in the country’s EFL context was deemed necessary. This descriptive study utilised an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to portray sixty-eight Indonesian EFL teachers’ thoughts about incorporating cultural aspects in their multilingual and multicultural EFL classrooms. The findings reported the participants’ view of culture as an essential element in FL education. TLC was perceived as a source of language learning motivation, and the provision of TLC enhanced learners’ skills, knowledge, and understanding to interact successfully in an FL. In other words, conformity to NS cultures was observed in FL education in general. However, in English classes, the participants prioritised the inclusion of Indonesian cultures to protect the country’s multilingualism and multiculturalism. Additionally, international cultures were desirable to prepare learners for broader cross-national communications. Besides enriching literature on the related field, the findings could be used to develop a model for culture-based instruction, particularly in Indonesian EFL.
Keywords: foreign language education; Indonesian EFL classrooms; local cultures in EFL classrooms; NS cultures in EFL classrooms; international cultures
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Andarningtyas, N. (2015). 25 local languages in Indonesia almost extinct, expert says. Tempo. https://en.tempo.co/read/714877/25-local-languages-in-indonesia-almost-extinct-expert-says
Baleghizadeh, S., & Moghadam, M.S. (2013). An investigation of tensions between EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices about teaching culture. GIST Education and Learning Research Journal, 7, 35-53.
Batchelder, A. (2000). Teaching dine language and culture in Navajo schools: Voices from the community. In J. Reyhner, J. Martin, L. Lockard, & W.S. Gilbert (Eds.), Learn in beauty: Indigenous education for the new century (pp.1-10). Northern Arizona University.
Bayyurt, B. (2006). Non‐native English language teachers’ perspective on culture in English as a Foreign Language classroom. Teacher Development: An International Journal of Teachers' Professional Development,10(2), 233-247.
Bennett. M. (1997). How not to be a fluent fool: Understanding the cultural dimensions of language. In A.E. Fantini, & J.C. Richards (Eds.), New ways in TESOL series II: Innovative classroom techniques (pp. 16-21). TESOL.
Borg, M. (2001). Key concepts in ELT: Teachers’ beliefs. ELT Journal, 55(2), 186-188.
Bretherton, L. (2004). Tolerance, education, and hospitality: A theological proposal. Studies in Christian Ethics, 17, 80-103.
Byram, M., Gribkova, B., & Starkey, H. (2002). Developing the intercultural dimension in language teaching: A practical introduction for teachers. Council of Europe.
Chalak, A., & Kassaian, Z. (2010). Motivation and attitudes of Iranian undergraduate EFL students towards learning English. Gema Online Journal of Language Studies, 10(2), 37-56.
Czura, A. (2016). Major field of study and student teachers’ views on intercultural communicative competence. Language and Intercultural Communication, 16(1), 83-98.
Dewi, K.C. (2016). A cultural content analysis of a senior high school English textbook for grade X [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Universitas Sebelas Maret.
Dharma, M., & Rudianto, C. (2013). Indonesian EFL students’ attitudes toward various English accents and their own accents. English. Edu: Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 11(1), 67-81.
Errington, J. (2006). Going ‘un-native’ in Indonesia(n). The International Journal of Anthropology, 50(1), 178-183.
Gu, X. (2015). Assessment of intercultural communicative competence in FL education: A survey on EFL teachers’ perception and practice in China. Language and Intercultural Communication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2015.1083575
Harbert, W. (2011). Endangered languages and economic development. In P.K. Austin, & J. Sallabank (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of endangered languages (pp.403-422). Cambridge University Press.
Hwang, K., & Yim, S.Y. (2019). The negative influence of native-speakerism on the sustainability of linguistic and cultural diversities of localized variants of English: A study of local and expatriate teachers in South Korea. Sustainability, 11(23), 1-20.
Jahan, R., & Roger, P.S. (2006). Global perspectives on the notion of target culture associated with English as a foreign language. University of Sydney Papers in TESOL, 1, 1-17.
Jenkins, J. (2003). World Englishes: A resource book for students. Routledge.
Kirkpatrick, A. (2007). Teaching English across cultures: What do English language teachers need to know to know how to teach English? English Australia Journal, 23(2), 20-36. http://www.englishaustralia.com.au/journal-issues
Kuzborska, I. (2011). Links between teachers' beliefs and practices and research on reading. Reading in a Foreign Language, 23(1), 102-128.
Lauder, A. (2008). The status and function of English in Indonesia: A review of key factors. Makara Sosial Humaniora, 12(1), 9-20.
Liao, P., & Chiang, M. (2003). The study of students’ and their teachers’ beliefs about English learning. Proceedings of the 2003 International Conference on English Teaching and Learning in the Republic of China. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
doi=10.1.1.617.4370&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
Marczak, M. (2010). New trends in teaching language and culture. In H. Komorowska, & L. Aleksandrowicz-Pdich (Eds.), Coping with diversity: Language and culture education (pp. 13-28). Wydawnictwo SWPS Academica.
Montolalu, L.R., & Suryadinata, L. (2007). National language and nation-building: The case of Bahasa Indonesia. In L.H. Guan, & L. Suryadinata (Eds.), Language, nation and development in Southeast Asia (pp.39-50). ISEAS Publishing.
Morgana, R., Sumardi, S., & Tarjana, S.S. (2018). Teaching culture: The prevailing stance of Indonesian EFL teachers. International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 5(4), 317-330.
Mumu, E.L. (2017). An exploration of teachers’ beliefs on the Integration of culture in teaching English as a foreign language in junior high schools in Minahasa Indonesia [Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation]. Murdoch University.
Nambiar, R.M.K., Hashim, R.S., & Yasin, R.M. (2018). Impact of integrating local culture into language materials on communicative ability of Malaysian lower secondary learners. 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 24(4), 13-26.
Nault, D. (2006). Going global: Rethinking culture teaching in ELT contexts. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 19(3), 314-328.
Nguyen, L., Harvey, S., & Grant, L. (2016) What teachers say about addressing culture in their EFL teaching practices: The Vietnamese context. Intercultural Education, 27(2), 165-178. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2016.1144921
Nourzadeh, S., Fathi, J., & Davari, H. (2020). An examination of Iranian learners’ motivation for and experience in learning Korean as an additional language. International Journal of Multilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2020.1850736
Onishi, N. (2010, June 25). As English spreads, Indonesians fear for their language. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/asia/26indo.html
Pennycook, A. (1994). The cultural politics of English as an international language. Longman.
Prastiwi, Y. (2013). Transmitting local cultural knowledge through English as foreign language learning as a means of fostering “unity in diversity”. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2(3), 507-513.
Raihani. (2014). Creating a culture of religious tolerance in an Indonesian school. Southeast Asia Research, 22(4), 541-560.
Raturi, S. (2014). Shaping lecturers’ beliefs about teaching and learning in higher education in the pacific. Issues in Educational Research, 24(1), 67-84.
Reimann, A. (2009). A critical analysis of cultural content in EFL materials. Utsunomiya University Research Collection on International Studies, 28, 85-101.
Ritzer, G. (2004). The “McDonaldization” of society. The Journal of American Culture, 6(1), 100-107.
Ruan, Y., Duan, X., & Du, X.Y. (2015). Tasks and learner motivation in learning Chinese as a foreign language. Language, Culture, Curriculum, 28(2), 170-190.
Septiyana, I., & Margiansyah, D. (2018). Glocalization of intangible cultural heritage: Strengthening preservation of Indonesia’s endangered languages in globalized world. Proceedings of the International Conference on Contemporary Social and Political Affairs, 138, 85-
https://doi.org/10.2991/icocspa-17.2018.23.
Setyono, B., & Widodo, H.P. (2019). The representation of multicultural values in the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture-Endorsed EFL textbook: A critical discourse analysis. Intercultural Education. Retrieved May 5, 2020, from
https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2019.1548102.
Stockwell, E. (2018). Teaching culture in foreign language classes. Foreign Language Education Research, 22, 11-23.
Syarifuddin, S. (2016, October 24). Language endangerment in multilingual Indonesia. The Jakarta Post. https://www.thejakartapost.com/youth/2016/10/24/language-endangerment-in-multilingual-indonesia.html
Tajeddin, Z., & Teimournezhad, S. (2015). Exploring the hidden agenda in the representation of culture in international and localized ELT textbooks. The Language Learning Journal, 43(2), 180-193 https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2013.869942
Thanasoulas, D. (2001). The importance of teaching culture in the foreign language classroom. Radical Pedagogy. http://radicalpedagogy.icaap.org/content/issue3_3/7-thanasoulas.html
Tokumoto, M., & Shibata, M. (2011). Asian varieties of English: Attitudes towards pronunciation. World Englishes, 30, 392-408.
Usmi. (2016, September 28-30). The current state of Korean language education in Indonesia: Vocabulary instruction at the University of Indonesia [Paper presentation]. 7th Kosasa Biennial International Conference, Quezon City, Philippines.
Wengan, J., & Yaya, Z. (2013). The effects of culture on foreign language learning beliefs. Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE International Conference in MOOC, Innovation and Technology in Education. https://doi.org/10.1109/MITE.2013.6756372.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/3L-2022-2801-06
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
eISSN : 2550-2247
ISSN : 0128-5157