A Narrative Inquiry of Two English Teachers' Identity Construction

Teacher identity is one of the essential aspects influencing the form and quality of educational processes. The present study examines the narratives of one of the writers, Devia, and an English teacher, Trisa, throughout their learning and teaching experiences and the process that were involved as they negotiated their identities as teachers. The data were collected from an autobiographical narrative of Devia as an English teacher, as well as intensive life-history interviews with Trisa. Analysis of the narratives and interview data led to four major themes: inspiring figures, teaching practicum experiences, becoming an English teacher, and pursuing a postgraduate study. The findings revealed that Devia’s and Trisa’s engagement in the practices and activities of learning and teaching shaped their teacher identity constructions. Keywords: narrative inquiry, teacher identity, teacher identity constructio

WRITERS’ VOICE AND ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN STUDENTS’ ANALYTICAL EXPOSITION TEXTS

One criterion of a good analytical exposition lies in the writers’ ability to present a clear position and show their voice in their writing. Such quality can be achieved through skillful use of Engagement resources which allow writers to state their voice by aligning or disaligning it with those of others in presenting their case. Involving nine analytical exposition texts written by university students of different proficiency levels, this study explores how the writers’ voice (Hyland, 2008) is constructed through Engagement resources. Drawing on Martin and White’s Engagement system (Martin White, 2005), the study reveals that, while all of the students are capable of presenting a clear position, students of different proficiency levels indicate different engagement strategies in their writing. Students who are more proficient in English are able to more successfully exploit the resources necessary for constructing a well-argued text and show a stronger sense of authorship. This study is expected to give insights into the use of Engagement resources in developing the writer’s voice in texts written by EFL writer learners in the Indonesian context

The Hero’s Journey of Kamado Tanjirou in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Due to globalization, the popularity of manga and anime have increased remarkably. Manga refers to Japanese comic books, the series of which are often made into Japanese cartoons, usually called anime. Although several academic studies have used manga as data source for their research studies, it appears that not much has been done to examine the traits of the hero’s journey in manga. Hence, the aim of this study is to identify the stages of the hero’s journey in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and to discover the inner transformation that the main character undergoes as a result of his journey. In order to accomplish this, two theories were adopted: the theory of hero’s journey proposed by Vogler (1992) and Weiland’s (2016) theory of character arc. The findings indicate that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba somewhat follows the stages of the hero’s journey described by Vogler’s (1992). Furthermore, the analysis of Tanjirou’s journey leads to a revelation of the inner transformation that he experiences, which is the positive change arc, and thus, making him as a willing hero.Keywords: Character arc, hero’s journey, manga, willing her

The fever of English 2.0 in Indonesia: University students’ and faculty members’ attitudes towards English in different multilingual landscapes

The global spread of English has become a widely felt phenomenon, arousing different perceptions and attitudes among those who encounter it. The dominant use of English in virtual spaces has led to the emergence of ‘English 2.0,’ which has been perceived as a new concept of learning English involving networked learning and the use of digital technologies. This study explores Indonesian university students’ and faculty members’ attitudes towards the use of English in both face-to-face and virtual contexts. Adopting a mixed methods approach, it involved two hundred and fifty-one respondents through which questionnaires were distributed and completed. Responses to Likert-scale items were analysed using a paired-samples t-test of SPSS, while open-ended responses were used to yield a more in-depth analysis. The results show that there were mixed attitudes towards English among the respondents. This study suggests that while virtual domains can provide a space for learning and practicing English, a beneficial utilisation of the language ultimately depends on how English language learning is planned and designed

Humor Analysis of Monty Python and the Holy Grail

This study entitled Humor analysis of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) aims to analyzes humor that exists in a British comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), which is directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, to understand the humor and what the humor implied. Employing textual analysis, this study uses Vandaele's (2002) humor mechanism and film form proposed by Bordwell, Thompson, and Smith (2017) as the tools of analysis. The study indicates that the humor is constructed based on the four contexts as described by Vandaele (2002): (1) (De-) normalization, (2) solution, (3) conditioning, and (4) evaluation. Furthermore, the humor signifies the film author’s credibility to deliver humor that is enjoyable to many people, especially those who have been exposed to western culture. Keywords: film, humor, humor mechanism, incongruity, Monty Python and The Holy Grail

Elt, interculturality and teacher identity: an inquiry into Indonesian university teachers’ beliefs and practices

This research is a critical and reflexive inquiry into the beliefs and practices, and the identity work, of the ‘intercultural teaching’ of English language teachers in two Indonesian universities. It is concerned with the ways in which teacher beliefs and understandings of the English language, of culture, interculturality and of pedagogy mediate the discourses, classroom practices and professional identity of these teachers. I have undertaken this study at a time when foreign language education policy in Indonesia, like many education policies across the world, has increasingly emphasised the cultural and intercultural dimensions of language learning. At the higher education level, the ‘shift of paradigm’ from English language education premised on linguistic competence to communicative competence has been accompanied by the introduction of more theoretical subjects where students are expected to develop a deeper understanding of the interconnections between language and culture. Within the framework of this ‘new paradigm’, English language teachers are expected to assume the responsibility of facilitating intercultural learning and promoting intercultural understanding. In this study, I examine the notion of interculturality in terms of broader, inclusive notions of pedagogy (cf. Giroux, 1988, 1991, 1997), rather than as a single approach to teaching English. Much research into teacher professional identity has revealed that teacher identity and teachers’ work are dynamically and inextricably interconnected with the broader social structures—their biographies, histories and experiences—in which they are situated (e.g., Duff & Uchida, 1997; Tsui, 2007; Varghese, Morgan, Johnston, & Johnson, 2005). Through the lens of sociocultural perspectives of identity, my study seeks to generate in-depth insights into how teacher identity work is mediated by and intertwines with various personal, professional, institutional and cultural factors. In connecting together these various dimensions, I have utilised a case study research design, with a particular focus on “critical incidents” (Goodson, 2003, p. 61) in the work and experiences of the teachers. This has allowed me space to delve into the complex social, cultural, linguistic and identity issues associated with that work and those experiences. In line with the sociocultural perspectives of identity that underpin the study, I have drawn on James Gee’s (1999, 2011a, 2011b) approach to discourse analysis to understand and unravel the complexity of identity work. Gee’s concepts of ‘big D’ Discourse, situated identities and cultural models were employed to highlight the connection between ‘micro’ (i.e., specific texts and specific details of language) and ‘macro’ (context) levels of analysis. This has allowed me to articulate fine-grained interpretive perspectives and to construct multi-faceted and nuanced accounts of the teachers’ realities and contextualised understandings. Data for the study comes from three main sources: in-depth semi-structured interviews with six teachers in two different universities in Indonesia, classroom observation of these teachers’ classroom practice and documentation (e.g., curriculum and policy documents). The interviews were conducted in three stages: before, during, and after the period during which I was observing the teachers’ classroom teaching, which was undertaken over a period of one semester. The focus of my interviews shuttled between ‘the personal’, ‘the professional’, ‘the institutional’ and ‘the cultural’. Analysis of data involved two major approaches: thematic theory-driven and case-based data-driven analyses. The former approach, drawing primarily on existing theories of ELT pedagogy, interculturalism and interculturality, was utilised in the analysis of the teachers’ perceptions of the English language and their ELT classroom practices as well as in the interpretation of their conceptualisations of culture. The latter approach was used in the exploration of the teachers’ individual beliefs, identity work and their subject-specific instructional practices. This approach has enabled me to discuss and analyse the data in a more reflexive way, allowing me not only to generate personalised accounts (including occasional references to my own experiences as an English language teacher in Indonesia) but also to present bigger picture understandings of the teachers’ individual and collective experiences. The study overall demonstrates the complex and dynamic nature of English language teachers’ identity work, pointing to the significant role the institution plays in mediating and shaping the teachers’ “enacted professionalism” (Hilferty, 2008, p. 162). By unravelling this complexity and illustrating the everyday challenges and dilemmas of teaching interculturalism in Indonesian higher education institutions, I call for a fundamental rethinking of language, culture and intercultural pedagogy and for policy-makers and curriculum planners to be better engaged with teachers’ voices and experiences

Elt, interculturality and teacher identity: an inquiry into Indonesian university teachers’ beliefs and practices

This research is a critical and reflexive inquiry into the beliefs and practices, and the identity work, of the ‘intercultural teaching’ of English language teachers in two Indonesian universities. It is concerned with the ways in which teacher beliefs and understandings of the English language, of culture, interculturality and of pedagogy mediate the discourses, classroom practices and professional identity of these teachers. I have undertaken this study at a time when foreign language education policy in Indonesia, like many education policies across the world, has increasingly emphasised the cultural and intercultural dimensions of language learning. At the higher education level, the ‘shift of paradigm’ from English language education premised on linguistic competence to communicative competence has been accompanied by the introduction of more theoretical subjects where students are expected to develop a deeper understanding of the interconnections between language and culture. Within the framework of this ‘new paradigm’, English language teachers are expected to assume the responsibility of facilitating intercultural learning and promoting intercultural understanding. In this study, I examine the notion of interculturality in terms of broader, inclusive notions of pedagogy (cf. Giroux, 1988, 1991, 1997), rather than as a single approach to teaching English. Much research into teacher professional identity has revealed that teacher identity and teachers’ work are dynamically and inextricably interconnected with the broader social structures—their biographies, histories and experiences—in which they are situated (e.g., Duff & Uchida, 1997; Tsui, 2007; Varghese, Morgan, Johnston, & Johnson, 2005). Through the lens of sociocultural perspectives of identity, my study seeks to generate in-depth insights into how teacher identity work is mediated by and intertwines with various personal, professional, institutional and cultural factors. In connecting together these various dimensions, I have utilised a case study research design, with a particular focus on “critical incidents” (Goodson, 2003, p. 61) in the work and experiences of the teachers. This has allowed me space to delve into the complex social, cultural, linguistic and identity issues associated with that work and those experiences. In line with the sociocultural perspectives of identity that underpin the study, I have drawn on James Gee’s (1999, 2011a, 2011b) approach to discourse analysis to understand and unravel the complexity of identity work. Gee’s concepts of ‘big D’ Discourse, situated identities and cultural models were employed to highlight the connection between ‘micro’ (i.e., specific texts and specific details of language) and ‘macro’ (context) levels of analysis. This has allowed me to articulate fine-grained interpretive perspectives and to construct multi-faceted and nuanced accounts of the teachers’ realities and contextualised understandings. Data for the study comes from three main sources: in-depth semi-structured interviews with six teachers in two different universities in Indonesia, classroom observation of these teachers’ classroom practice and documentation (e.g., curriculum and policy documents). The interviews were conducted in three stages: before, during, and after the period during which I was observing the teachers’ classroom teaching, which was undertaken over a period of one semester. The focus of my interviews shuttled between ‘the personal’, ‘the professional’, ‘the institutional’ and ‘the cultural’. Analysis of data involved two major approaches: thematic theory-driven and case-based data-driven analyses. The former approach, drawing primarily on existing theories of ELT pedagogy, interculturalism and interculturality, was utilised in the analysis of the teachers’ perceptions of the English language and their ELT classroom practices as well as in the interpretation of their conceptualisations of culture. The latter approach was used in the exploration of the teachers’ individual beliefs, identity work and their subject-specific instructional practices. This approach has enabled me to discuss and analyse the data in a more reflexive way, allowing me not only to generate personalised accounts (including occasional references to my own experiences as an English language teacher in Indonesia) but also to present bigger picture understandings of the teachers’ individual and collective experiences. The study overall demonstrates the complex and dynamic nature of English language teachers’ identity work, pointing to the significant role the institution plays in mediating and shaping the teachers’ “enacted professionalism” (Hilferty, 2008, p. 162). By unravelling this complexity and illustrating the everyday challenges and dilemmas of teaching interculturalism in Indonesian higher education institutions, I call for a fundamental rethinking of language, culture and intercultural pedagogy and for policy-makers and curriculum planners to be better engaged with teachers’ voices and experiences

In search of self: Navigating subjectivity amidst conflicts in Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park (2012)

Entrance into adulthood has often been seen as a phase marked by self-exploration, instability, and struggles to overcome tensions and conflicts. Eleanor & Park (2012) is a novel that explores issues of growing up and tells the story of how the two main characters go through the struggles of their adolescent lives. This study analyzes how Eleanor and Park construct and navigate their subjectivities amidst the various conflicts they face. It does so by, first, identifying and classifying the conflicts the characters encounter and then locating their provisional subject positions that draw on how they react to and deal with the conflicts. While the study confirms the dynamic nature of subject positions, both Eleanor and Park tend to bring to the fore their active subject position in dealing with the conflicts. Moreover, their subject positions further indicate that Eleanor and Park are empowered agents who are capable of deliberating thoughts and actions consciously. In navigating their subjectivities, both characters, in the end, are able to achieve personal growth and empowerment