COMPETENCY-BASED LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION IN SPEAKING CLASSES: ITS THEORY AND IMPLEMENTATION IN INDONESIAN CONTEXTS

 The competency-based curriculum as endorsed by the Department of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia has recently been implemented nationwide from elementary to high schools in the country. It is claimed that by improving syllabi, materials, and activities or by putting a more emphasis on learners’ autonomy, more effective language learning will take place. However, such an approach may also be counter-productive as it emphasizes the outputs more than the inputs. Another problem may arise as learners’ language performance may also entail teaching preparations in that teachers are obliged not only to be knowledgeable of the topics discussed, but also to be skillful and creative in preparing the materials. The implementation of this approach then becomes more complicated, especially when related to the learners’ culture. The features of this language instruction seem to be contradictory to Indonesians’ cultural values and beliefs which are reflected in the forms of total obedience, the unquestioning mind, the concept of the old know all, and the teachers can do no wrong.Due to the above barriers, this study intends to explore and evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of this instruction in speaking classes in Indonesian contexts. It will specifically attempt to assess the extent to which closed and open tasks can affectively be accomplished and with what degree of success the students acquire natural language use. Keywords: Competency-based curriculum, output, input     

PROBING RHETORICAL STRUCTURES OF ADVANCED LEARNERS’ EXPOSITORY PROSE: A DATA-BASED APPROACH

Logic, as the basis of rhetoric, always affects the way ideas, words, and evidence are assembled into one coherent structure. As rhetoric varies from culture to culture, it frequently brings about awkwardness, inappropriateness as well as immaturity of an expository prose if it does not meet the convention of organizational patterns  and signals as expected by the readers having that rhetoric. A number of scholars have highlighted the importance and insights of contrastive rhetoric for the teaching of academic writing. This paper describes various rhetorical problems encountered by dozens of advanced Indonesian learners of English taking an academic writing class at AMINEF (American Indonesian Exchange Foundation) who plan to study in the USA. This paper concludes with the caveat that difficulties in adopting English rhetoric is not simply  a linguistic problem but includes cultural understanding and awareness of its style. This paper offers insightful writing instructions to cope with the existing problems. Keywords: rhetoric, expository prose, contrastive rhetoric, rhetoricalproblems, AMINEF

Addressing Community Development through Sustainable Mining Practices: The case of Abosso Goldfields (Damang) in Ghana.

The performance of the gold mining industry globally is in no doubt. However, the industry's susceptibility to the frequent rise and fall in the price of gold, coupled with the various negative impacts it generates in mining communities have made it reliability for economic growth and development questionable. These impacts have often been grouped under environmental, social and economic impacts. Using a case study of Goldfields Damang in Ghana, this study examined in detail how stakeholder communities within the catchment areas of Goldfields can be developed through sustainable mining practices. The study used political ecology theory to understand the powers of the various actors (multinational companies and government) and to further investigate how decisions taken by these bodies have led to a devastation of the local environment. The study revealed that while Goldfields Damang has been doing a lot in terms of development in the areas of education, livelihood programs and infrastructure, community members on the other hand are not satisfied because the developmental project are not sustainable in the long term. To community members, issues such as unemployment, pollution and compensation were key if Goldfields Damang aims to address sustainable development in their operations. The study concluded that what mining companies cite as sustainable practices are the same as their corporate social responsibilities, except the reclamation practices which are geared towards restoring the nutrients of the soil. Also, the study calls for deep attention to be paid to public participation in the Environmental Impact Assessment process if community development is to be effectively addressed by mining companies

PENGHAYATAN EKARISTI UMAT PAROKI SANTO YOHANES RASUL SOMOHITAN MENURUT KEVIN W. IRWIN

The faithful of the Archdiocese of Semarang put a high respect on the Eucharist in their daily life. In many parishes, there are so many people who celebrate and participate in the Eucharist. Besides, they also try to understand and fully experience the Eucharist in their daily life among others. This research, concludes that the Eucharist as the expression of the faith was fully experienced by the people of Santo Yohanes Rasul Somohitan Parish. It was supported by many kinds of means and by the proper understanding of the Eucharist. The Eucharist also gave the positive influences to the personal growth and the sensitivity of the social situations. This research showed that there was a close relationship between lex orandi, lex credendi, and lex vivendi. What the people pray, is what people believe in, and what the people believe in, is what the people fully experience. The Eucharists full and comprehension in Santo Yohanes Rasul Somohitan parish should be evaluated continuesly. Based on that discovery, the Church was expected to give cathecism and other activities which could improve the Eucharists full and comprehension. And could give more positive influences to the community life

TECHNICAL TRAINING: A PATHWAY TO YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

This paper assessed the relevance of technical training as an empowerment tool for youth in Sarawak – hence it shed light on Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) as a pathway to youth empowerment. It is noted that TVET increases youth empowerment opportunities and social-economic development. Qualitative research methodological approach was adopted in this study and the findings show that TVET is a tool for positive change with various potentials for skill development, capacity building, wealth creation, and youth empowerment

Probing Rhetorical Structures Of Advanced Learners\u27 Expository Prose: A Data-based Approach

Logic, as the basis of rhetoric, always affects the way ideas, words, and evidence are assembled into one coherent structure. As rhetoric varies from culture to culture, it frequently brings about awkwardness, inappropriateness as well as immaturity of an expository prose if it does not meet the convention of organizational patterns and signals as expected by the readers having that rhetoric. A number of scholars have highlighted the importance and insights of contrastive rhetoric for the teaching of academic writing. This paper describes various rhetorical problems encountered by dozens of advanced Indonesian learners of English taking an academic writing class at AMINEF (American Indonesian Exchange Foundation) who plan to study in the USA. This paper concludes with the caveat that difficulties in adopting English rhetoric is not simply a linguistic problem but includes cultural understanding and awareness of its style. This paper offers insightful writing instructions to cope with the existing problems

The grade placement of the physical science principle "rough dark surfaces absorb and radiate heat energy more readily than smooth light-colored surfaces" in relation to mental ages.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit