English Language Proficiency in Indonesia : Issues and Prospects

Abstract

In this article, we discuss key issues about English language proficiency in Indonesia, focusing in particular on the level and kind of proficiency that English language teachers need to have to support their classroom teaching. We first define the concept of proficiency and how it is usually measured, and then present some data about teachers and students' English language proficiency in Indonesia and the Asian region. The next section discusses research that helps us understand why a threshold of proficiency is required for effective teaching. As many teachers may not have reached a level of proficiency considered sufficient for effective teaching, we then discuss key theoretical principles from SLA that can be used as a basis for developing a training programme to help raise teachers' proficiency. We conclude by calling all stakeholders (i.e., policy makers, language education providers and professional associations) to work together and find ways to support teachers in their effort to acquire a higher level of proficiency in English.

English language education in Indonesia: A review of research (2011–2019)

“…The researchers collected data from 1,415 teachers in South Sulawesi in the districts of Makassar, Bantaeng, Bulukumba, Wajo, Bone, Sidrap, Soppeng, Pangkep, Parepare and Enrekang. The findings of their study show that a great majority of the teachers were not proficient English usersa point also raised in Renandya, Hamied, and Nurkamto (2018) to reflect the general condition of the English teaching workforce in Indonesia. Primary school teachers were noted to have low confidence in their English proficiency and found it difficult to use the language for instruction.…”

The Effects of Cognitive Grammar-grounded Instruction and Formal- Traditional Grammar Instruction on Learning Simple Past and Past Perfect

“…Awareness-raising tasks as opposed to exercises were chosen for learners to practice the target tenses, as these tasks have been considered to be beneficial in language pedagogy and in current teaching methodology (Révész, 2009). Comprehension-based tasks may support the teaching and learning of the two tenses, especially in the Indonesian context (Renandya, Hamied, & Nurkamto, 2018) while the production-based task may push the learners to deeper processing of the target structures and thereby fostering acquisition (Luciana, 2006;Swain, 2005). In total, the participants spent 60 minutes on the tasks.…”

Foreign Languages in the World’s General School Education: Current Situations and Problems

“…Hiện tại, giống như nhiều quốc gia châu Á, Indonesia thiếu rất nhiều giáo viên tiếng Anh, trình độ giáo viên tiếng Anh thấp, nhiều giáo viên không có bằng đại học, không có chứng chỉ sư phạm, và sau khi tốt nghiệp đại học không được đào tạo lại để đáp ứng với những yêu cầu mới về năng lực ngôn ngữ và nghiệp vụ sư phạm (Renandya et al, 2018). Theo Mistar (2005), từ khi tiếng Anh được đưa vào dạy từ bậc tiểu học, xảy ra tình trạng thiếu giáo viên nghiêm trọng ở bậc học này và đa số giáo viên tiểu học không đủ trình độ.…”