Navigating Cultural Divides: The Learning, Practices, and Beliefs of Novice Indonesian Teachers of English

Abstract

Language education prepares students to engage with people from different cultures, an essential skill in the 'post-truth' era. In some contexts, such as Indonesia, language teachers are also expected to uphold local cultural values. To learn more about these dual demands, this qualitative case study investigated the learning, beliefs and practices of novice Indonesian English teachers regarding teaching about culture. Findings indicate that teachers have few opportunities to learn about how to teach about culture, but that those who have had intercultural experiences themselves are more likely to adopt a globally-oriented approach and experiment with including cultural content in their lessons. This study's implications reveal a need for language teacher education programs to more purposefully address the teaching of culture and to support novice teachers' participation in intercultural encounters. With stronger preparation, teachers might more effectively prepare students to engage across difference.