The research investigated the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) undergraduate students’ vocabulary knowledge (size and level). The research involved 40 second-semester students who were enrolling in two reading courses at an English Department in a private university in West Java, Indonesia. Vocabulary Size Test by Nation and Beglar; and Vocabulary Level Test by Webb, Sasao, and Ballance were used to gain data. It is found that the participants’ average vocabulary size is 8.732,5 word-families. The finding of the research also reveals that only ten students master 1.000-5.000 word-levels. It means that despite a big vocabulary size that many students have, 75% of them only know a limited high and mid-frequency vocabulary. The findings imply that the students still need to read graded readers to master high and mid-frequency levels. The current research project also indicates that the students might have met more low-frequency words than high and mid-frequency words in their language learning prior to their current extensive reading program.

<p>Intercultural language teaching and learning (ILTL) in Asian contexts is an area of growing interest. Reflecting this growth, this study investigated the viability of adopting an intercultural stance in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction at tertiary level in Indonesia.  The research was carried out in three phases. Phase 1 was a document analysis of Indonesia’s English language education policy (ELEP). Phase 2 was a case study which investigated the ELEP underlying two English programmes at a Private University of Indonesia (PUI). It focused on examining the construction of culture and language in curricula of two English programmes, teachers’ beliefs and practices, and students’ beliefs. Phase 3 was an autoethnographic study of my own ILTL in one of the English programmes in PUI. The data was collected from records of my autobiography and one-semester of reflective teaching practice.  The findings of the three phases showed challenges and opportunities of cultivating interculturality in the context. First, the findings of Phase 1 revealed how the need for cultivating respect for cultural diversity – for political unity and social harmony – within the country influenced the ways in which culture and language were constructed in the ELEP. Since policies relating to cultural and linguistic diversity at the national level were influenced by political agenda, they also highlighted an essentialist view of culture. Second, the findings of Phase 2 echoed the findings of Phase 1. The data revealed deeply ingrained essentialist beliefs about culture, and a separation of culture and language in the design and implementation of the curriculum. However, some teaching staff aspired to cultivate intercultural understanding and to help students to understand their own culture and other cultures. Third, the findings of Phase 3 showed the complexity of implementing ILTL. This included challenges in the forms of linguistic goals imposed by the curriculum, no in-house community of practice, and multifaceted classroom behaviour. Despite this, the opportunities for cultivating interculturality were also present in the forms of teaching resources that reflect global and local linguistic and cultural diversity, teacher’s questions that prompt students to decentre, and various activities for students to be active in their own learning (such as group or pair discussions, rehearsals, and role-plays). On top of that, this phase revealed the complexity of collecting evidence of students’ learning and my ethical dilemmas due to various philosophical views embedded in my identities, the teaching context, and the construct of ILTL.  Through its three-phase approach, the study brought outsider and insider dimensions to the task of understanding the fertility of the ground for intercultural teaching in the context of tertiary English classroom in Indonesia. It revealed that the implementation of ILTL can be initiated by teachers who are willing to take an intercultural stance; however, they also need support from community and policy makers to smooth the process and maximise the outcome. It is hoped that the study can inform the work of teachers, teacher educators, and policy makers regarding what it means to be an intercultural learner and teacher in tertiary education in Indonesia and elsewhere.</p>

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The research aimed to know to what extent Indonesian English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students master high and midfrequency words (4.000-5.000). Besides, it aimed to know the vocabulary size of Indonesian EAP students. To fill the gap, the research examined 128 Indonesian EAP students from two private universities in Indonesia. To gather its data, the research employed the Vocabulary Level Test of Webb, Sasao, & Ballance, and the Vocabulary Size Test of Nation and Beglar. The research findings indicate that the participants have not yet mastered the high-frequency words and the mid frequency words from 4.000-5.000 word-families. The finding also reveals that the mean scores of the students’ vocabulary range between 6.000 and 10.000. It implies that the previous learning of the participants has not yet facilitated them to learn important vocabulary from 1.000 to 5.000 word-families. Thus, although they have a big vocabulary size, they might face problems when trying to understand some texts. The research findings are expected to increase English teachers’ awareness in general and EAP teachers’ awareness specifically of the importance of facilitating their students to learn high-frequency words.

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