ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN INDONESIAN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION: Theory and reality

Abstract

The globalization phenomenon marked by the flow of people movements, the advancement of informational technology, and the shrinking price of transportation has brought people around the world into one global community. Comprised by people from diverse linguistic backgrounds, this community sees the need to use a common language to bridge the communication gap. With a long-established economic and political power, English comes to the forefront as a global lingua franca. With its growing and pervasive influence, the need to learn English has never become more apparent. This need is often translated by government into language-in-education policy. This paper, to start with, will observe how language policy and globalization build a causal relationship. In the section that follows, language-in-education policy in Indonesian context will be presented. The following part will move on to discuss the use of EMI in Sekolah Berstandar Internasional (SBI)-International Standard School in Indonesia. In the end, a reflection and conclusion of EMI in Indonesia context will be discussed. In doing so, this paper employs literature study approach to explore the EMI practice in Indonesian schools. All relevant information was collected from several sources such as books and journal articles. The information was then utilised to build on discussions on existing theoretical framings, language policy and globalization, and on language-in-education policy and practice in Indonesia.

Can Pupils Retell Concepts in English? An Analysis of How to Use EMI in Science Class

“…Besides, 90.12 % of pupils show positive responses of pupils about the use of English as a medium of instruction in learning science turned out to be incompatible with the fact that pupils rarely use English outside of the classroom. Khasbani (2019) revealed that the low frequency was due to limited exposure to English in the school environment and pupils' residences. Meanwhile, pupils need access to a learning environment that includes mixing languages to develop their understanding of science.…”

“…Indonesian people's awareness of the urgency of the use of English in the education process has risen since the late 90's, and this is still increasing because it provides a International Journal of Instruction, October 2021 • Vol.14, No.4 meaningful and positive contribution (Abduh & Rosmaladewi, 2019;Hadisantosa, 2010;Lamb & Coleman, 2008). The growth of awareness to build a scientific community among Indonesians with English as the medium of instruction is also one of the supporting factors or special considerations of teaching English from the early age because it might show the intelligence and social status (Abduh & Rosmaladewi, 2019;Khasbani, 2019). English is taught from kindergarten to tertiary institutions in Indonesia.…”

“…Policymakers in the Indonesian Ministry of National Education assume that English has a vital role in supporting and improving the quality of standardized national school graduates such as those in member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bax, 2010;Dearden, 2014;Khasbani, 2019;Lawson & Sayers, 2017). The British Council for East Asia states that one of the goals of using English in Indonesian schools is to form a superior generation that is capable to compete in international forums in both natural and social sciences (Dearden, 2014).…”

Trends of English as medium instruction in science learning: Review and bibliometrıc analysis

“…There is a need for intensive research to answer this question. A more mature preparation can provide detailed instructions to produce a teaching approach that is more practical and fulfills the purpose of using EMI (Khasbani, 2019). What must be ensured is how well EMI is applied in various fields of science, including the scientific field, so that the purpose of providing language skills and scientific content can be achieved.…”

Linguistic hegemony in global recognition: English-mediated internationalisation at Indonesian higher education institutions

“…In Indonesia, most studies on internationalisation focus on schooling, from early childhood (Adriany, 2018) to high school (Tamu, 2014(Tamu, , 2016Khasbani, 2019), including the perspectives of students and parents on international schooling (Arfani and Nakaya, 2019). In contrast, there has been limited research into the practice of EMI and internationalisation programs at IHEIs.…”