TEACHING INDONESIAN AS A DIGLOSSIC LANGUAGE: THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLOQUIAL INDONESIAN FOR PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE

The teaching of Indonesian at home and abroad for native and non-native speakers emphasizes the importance of formal Indonesian and tends to avoid teaching the colloquial one. However, most learners understand the discrepancies between the language they learn in class and that used for daily local conversations which tend to be colloquial. This paper attempts to argue that colloquial Indonesian is an important part of the diglossic nature of Indonesian, and that the teaching and learning of Indonesian must reflect this characteristic. Based on library research as well as collection of interviews, observations and recordings of the teaching of formal Indonesian as well as the learners and native speakers’ interaction, this paper will describe importance of the teaching of informal or colloquial Indonesian for enhancing pragmatic competence and its benefits for preserving endangered local languages. The data presented will show that colloquial Indonesian which absorbs various linguistic features from local languages constitutes a type of language with its rules systems that can be taught, learned, and maintained. Finally this paper will suggest ways of integrating the teaching of colloquial Indonesian in Indonesian language classes

Elements of digital media in vocabulary remote-learning achievement

The urge of finding the most suitable method of remote teaching in a pandemic situation has become the center of recent studies. Equipped with instructional scaffolding, the absence of a teacher as a mentor in an asynchronous online class could be replaced by more interesting media for students’ self-study. This study was to look at games, songs, and a movie as media to enhance students’ achievement in English vocabulary. Further, elements in each media were observed along with students’ perceptions to explain the affected area in detail. This descriptive quantitative study used paired samples t-test toward students’ post-test scores of a control group (n=100) and an experimental group (n=100) in vocabulary. Students’ perception of taking media as learning tools in experimental class was measured in a questionnaire to explain the results. Results showed that the significantly experimental group outperformed in the final score. Trend on students’ perception in an experimental group toward these teaching media involved shared and specific features in media design, psychological and pedagogic elements. Further, it turned out that some primary and subsidiary features in games exceeded two other media (songs and movies) in vice versa generating some recommendations for future improvement

Designing Phonetic Alphabet for Bahasa Indonesia (PABI) for the teaching of intelligible English pronunciation in Indonesia

The sociolinguistic development of English has placed a greater emphasis on intelligibility as the ultimate goal of pronunciation instruction. However, various studies have indicated that English pronunciation of Indonesian English learners was not satisfactory due to difficulties in learning English pronunciation and lack of emphasis given to the teaching of English pronunciation in English classrooms in Indonesia. In this paper we propose the development of Phonetic Alphabets for Bahasa Indonesia (PABI). This practical instrument allows English teachers and students in Indonesia to transcribe the pronunciations of English words into phonetic transcription with locally-appropriate readability and accessibility without compromising the pronunciation intelligibility. The development of PABI started with contrastive analysis of common phonemes in the two languages, i.e., English and Bahasa Indonesia (BI). Next, we identified the English phonemes missing in Bahasa Indonesia which English learners in Indonesia have to conceptualise. We then located those English sound ‘pairs’ which seem identical to Indonesians and are thus used interchangeably in BI. A corpus of 30,000 commonly used English words was transcribed in PABI using a computer software IPA to L1PA developed by Rahman and Bhattacharya (2020). Proposals to modify the IPA to suit the BI sound system entailed the adjustments in the consonant phonemes, vowel phonemes, and cluster sounds. These adjustments are expected to improve the readability and accessibility of the conventional IPA in facilitating the teaching and learning of intelligible English pronunciation in Indonesia. Practical uses of the PABI guidelines are drawn to improve its utility. Implications for the development of context sensitive and locally-appropriate pronunciation teaching and learning are drawn based on the findings

Linguistic categorization of teacher perceptions about BIPA learner errors and learning challenges: a multiple case study

This descriptive qualitative study investigated teacher perceptions about common BIPA learner errors and challenges, to contribute to the formation of a larger profile of Indonesian language learners and assist both materials developers and classroom teachers in anticipating and addressing these challenges. The data in this multiple case study was collected through interviews of four experienced BIPA instructors representing a range of instructor backgrounds with regard to gender, years taught, international teaching experience, and teaching context, although all were from a language, linguistics or humanities background. Learners taught ranged from approximately 15 national backgrounds, with the largest group being Australians, and most being in the A1-A2 CEFR range. Errors and challenges were identified in the areas of phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics, and with regard to language contact. The participants disagreed about the usefulness of existing BIPA materials, with some suggesting the need for more specialized materials

Analysis of Factors Inhibiting Students in Speaking English as a Foreign Language: Qualitative Study in Classes VIII and IX at Mts Darul Falah Cibungur

This research investigates the factors that hinder students from speaking English as a foreign language in the classroom. Through qualitative research methods involving students and teachers, the findings show that there are two main factors that influence students' speaking abilities, namely affective factors and cognitive factors. Affective factors include eleven subfactors such as shyness, nervousness, and lack of self-confidence, while cognitive factors involve problems with grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. In addition, the influence of teachers and peers also has a significant role in overcoming or exacerbating these factors. This research has implications for designing more effective speaking learning and a supportive environment for students in overcoming speaking barriers

Instant messaging and the facilitation of collaborative, student-led learning and teaching-support: The NZCEL EAP scenario

Abstract In the last couple of decades, the increased use of technology in the education sector has led to smartphone use becoming more prevalent in supporting students’ learning. Apart from applications (apps) specifically designed for language educational purposes, such as Duolingo, there are also instant messaging apps that are not specifically designed for education purposes, but that can be useful in supporting learners. These include instant messaging apps such as, WhatsApp and WeChat. Instead of relegating phone app use to merely a source of entertainment and distraction, teachers increasingly use them as a vital form of communication to enhance education, including language learning. Apps have thus shifted from a tangential position to the forefront of the learning space. For the purposes of this research project, WeChat was used as the messaging app. This article focuses on the initial findings of a pilot study and concentrates on the perceived purposes for the participants’ posts as they relate to the use of the app as a tool for collaboration, peer-support, and knowledge sharing. Data was gathered through an online survey, semi-structured interviews, and an analysis of the WeChat posts. Analysis of the posts and comments made by students during the interviews suggest that the tool formed a vital link between them, their classmates and teachers, and, at times, served as a social platform underlying the key educational purposes of the programme

The favored language learning strategies of Islamic university EFL learners

Despite the existence of many studies about language learning strategies (LLS) around the world, little work has been reported on the LLS use of Islamic university students from a qualitative perspective. Thus, to fill this empirical gap, this study is aimed to explore the LLS use and choice by learners studying at an Islamic university in Indonesia. This study employed a qualitative approach by interviewing 18 learners who would become teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). They have been interviewed about the ways or strategies when they are learning English. The data gained from the interviews were analyzed by thematic analysis. The findings demonstrated that learners reported using the strategies which are classified into six LLS categories (memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and social strategies) in learning English. However, most strategies reported by the learners were categorized into metacognitive strategies. Another significant finding is that several strategies such as practicing strategies (practicing four language skills; listening, speaking, reading, and writing), watching TV/ English Movies, memorizing, and using the internet were mostly reported by learners in improving their English skills. This study is beneficial for the classroom practice of teachers in enhancing their teaching methodology by knowing learners’ learning strategies to make it easier for the teachers to design the learning activities.  Furthermore, this study is also beneficial for novice EFL learners in which the strategies in this study could be models for them.

“If our English isn’t a language, what is it?” Indonesian EFL Student Teachers’ Challenges Speaking English

Research on students’ skill speaking English in a non-English speaking country such as Indonesia is limited. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to document Indonesian EFL student teachers’ experiences in speaking English at one public university in Jambi, Indonesia. Data came from demographic questionnaires and semi-structured interviews obtained from eight participants. We organized our analysis and discussion around Indonesian EFL student teachers’ perspectives and the contexts in which experiences they encountered emerge. Our analysis of the text revealed overarching themes and sub-themes including (1) language barriers (vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and fluency); (2) psychological factors (anxiety, attitude, and lack of motivation); (3) learning environment (lecturers, peers, and topics of speaking modules), and (4) practicing the language (self-practice, practicing the language with tutors and peers, practicing the language with media and technology, and maintaining a positive motivation). The findings indicated that all of themes and sub-themes appeared to be intricately interrelated