Situating English Language Teaching in Indonesia Within a Critical, Global
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Situating English Language Teaching in Indonesia within a Critical, Global Dialogue of Theories: A Case Study of Teaching Argumentative Writing and Cross-Cultural Understanding Courses RIBUT WAHYUDI A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Victoria University of Wellington 2018 ABSTRACT This dissertation aims to critically examine lecturers’ discursive statements in interviews and English Language Teaching (ELT) classroom practices in Indonesia, primarily in the teaching of Argumentative Writing (AW) and Cross Cultural Understanding (CCU) courses at two universities (Multi-Religious and Islamic University) in Java. This study uses poststructural and interdisciplinary lenses: Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA); Connell’s (2007) ideas of Southern Theory, Kumaravadivelu’s (2006b) Post Method Pedagogy, and Al-Faruqi’s (1989) and Al-Attas’ (1993) Islamisation of knowledge, as well as the critiques of these theories and other postcolonial voices. The critical examination of ELT practices through poststructural and interdisciplinary lenses in an Indonesian context is urgent, as teaching practices at present are subjected by competing regimes of ‘truth’ including Western, neoliberal, Southern, and Islamic discourses. The data were collected from curriculum policy documents, semi structured interviews, stimulated recalls and classroom observations from seven lecturers. The data were then transcribed and analysed primarily using FDA and also discussed in relation to other interdisciplinary theories, the critiques of these theories, and other relevant postcolonial literatures. Within the analysis there is a particular focus on how ELT Methods and World Englishes are enacted, negotiated, or resisted by lecturers. This study strongly suggests that Western discourses have dominated other regimes of truth, as evidenced in the privileging of process and genre approaches, global Northern structures of AW essay, as well as an emphasis on American and British English in AW courses and the privileging of those two dominant English varieties in CCU courses in most contexts. The study also suggests there are tensions between religious discourse and emerging neoliberal discourses in national policies and university documents and some lecturers’ language. Southern discourses seem to have been marginalised and seem to be only resorted to support the use of Western discourses in the classroom teaching. The use of FDA and interdisciplinary lenses, along with their critiques and other postcolonial voices, are underexplored in current studies of ELT practices. Therefore, i this study extends scholarship in the ELT field and makes a case for exposing lecturers to counter discourses, such as Southern and Islamic discourses, in order for them to be able to critically negotiate or appropriate Western and neoliberal discourses in their teaching practices. ii DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my parents Bu (Mother) Tukiyem and Bapak (Father) Suwoto and my big family in Sanenrejo, Jember, Indonesia. I also dedicate this thesis to my lovely wife, Dwi Rahayu and my newly born son: Muhammad Ibnu ‘Athaillah Assakandary as well as my mother and father in Law Bu Sri Eny and Bapak Mubaidillah along with the big family in Malang. These two big families have provided endless supports and prayers to my PhD study. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the first place, I thank Allah SWT (the Almighty God) for His blessings and guidance from all periods of my life including this journey of my PhD study. My deep gratitude goes to my first supervisor Professor Catherine Manathunga (The University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia) and my second supervisor Dr. Gillian Hubbard (Victoria University of Wellington [VUW]) for their endless love, commitment and supervision during the study. My first supervisor has introduced me to poststructural, postcolonial thoughts and interdisciplinary studies. These thoughts and studies have remarkably shaped the way I see knowledge and knowledge production as well as to appreciate and be proud of the ‘marginalized’ knowledge in my own culture. My second supervisor always provided me with critical questions during the process of completing the thesis and these help me to strengthen position and build ‘a line of argument’. I would also thank to my third supervisor Dr. Judith Loveridge (VUW) who has provided clear directions, feedback, guidance and encouragement for the completion of this thesis in the last six months. I would also thank to examiners whose challenges, questions and clarifications have been critical in improving the quality of my thesis. I also deeply thank to New Zealand ASEAN Scholars (NZ-Aid) under Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) of the New Zealand Government for granting me the prestigious scholarship without which my rewarding and enlightening experiences during my PhD would not have been possible. I also thank to Victoria Doctoral Submission Scholarship which has funded my study for the last three months and the university I work in, Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Indonesian government which granted permission to do this PhD study. My study would not have been completed without the supports of my respondents who generously shared their understanding about the core aspects of the courses they taught. Thus, I shall thank to them for this generosity. Furthermore, I also thank the proof-reader of my thesis, Robyn Kenealy in Wellington, who provided some suggestions for the improvement of my thesis in addition to language related issues. iv I also thank to VUW for providing funding to present my PhD proposal at Malaysia International Conference in English Language Teaching 2014, preliminary findings at Centre for English Language Communication Symposium 2016 at National University of Singapore and at the Applied Linguistics of Associations of New Zealand 2016 at Massey University, New Zealand. My thanks also go to all staffs and all PhD students at Faculty of Education who have helped and supported me study in different ways. I also like to thank the Indonesian Embassy Wellington, Indonesian Moslem Society (UMI), Overseas Branch of Nahdlatul ‘Ulama Australia - New Zealand, Indonesian Student Assosiation (PPIW) and the Big Family of Indonesian Society (KAMASI) which enriched my life experiences through different encounters. v List Figure Figure 2.1.: The Diagram and the Rationale of using Interdisciplinary Theories ................ 19 List of Tables Table 1: ELT Curriculum Development for Secondary Schools ............................................ 5 Table 2: The Characteristic of Lecturers .............................................................................. 90 Table 3: The Policy and Curriculum Documents Analysed .................................................. 91 Table 4: The Number of Times of Interviews and Observation for Each Respondent ........ 99 vi ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AG Academic Guidance AW Argumentative Writing CBI Content-Based Instruction CBLT Competency-Based Language Teaching CCU Cross Cultural Understanding CLIL Content Language Integrated Learning CLT Communicative Language Teaching EFL English as a Foreign Language EIL English as an International Language ELF English as a Lingua Franca ELT English Language Teaching FDA Foucauldian Discourse Analysis II Initial Interview IU Islamic University JFL Junior Female Lecturer KARDS Knowing, Analysing, Recognising, Doing and Seeing MRU Multi Religious University vii PMP Post Method Pedagogy RI Republic of Indonesia SFL Senior Female Lecturer SML Senior Male Lecturer SRI Stimulated Recall Interview TEGCOM Teaching English as Glocalised Communication TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages WE World Englishes viii TABLE OF CONTENT ABSTRACT i-ii DEDICATION iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv-v LIST OF FIGURE vi LIST OF TABLE vi ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS vii-viii CHAPTER ONE: Introduction 1.0. Introduction to the Study ............................................................................................. 1 1.1. The Historical and Socio-political Context of ELT in Indonesia ..................................... 2 1.2. The Multicultural and Multilingual Context of Indonesia............................................. 8 1.3. ELT in Higher Education: Policy and Practices .............................................................. 9 1.4. Rationale for the Study ................................................................................................. 11 1.5. Research Question ........................................................................................................ 15 1.6. My Subject Position ...................................................................................................... 15 1.7. Overview of Thesis Chapters ........................................................................................ 16 CHAPTER TWO: Theoretical Paradigms 2.0. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 18 2.1. Foucauldian Discourse Analysis .................................................................................... 20 2.2. The Formation of Key Regimes of Truth ....................................................................... 21 2.2.1. Neoliberal Discourses ....................................................................................... 21 2.2.2. Western Discourses of Knowledge in Social Sciences and ELT ........................