English Language Teaching in Islamic Education in Indonesia; Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The dominant use of English in every field covering politic, economic and sosial culture these days has manifested in its gaining a special position in many countries where it is not spoken. In Indonesia, it is a foreign language officially constituted as part of national education curriculum and becomes a requirement in a number of higher education and workforce entry. Yet, ELT in Indonesia faces various constraints including, but is not limited, the anxiousness to threat the purity of Bahasa Indonesia, the national language, and the worry about liberal western values embedded in English to corrupt the youngsters moral and attitudes. Interestingly, Islamic education that maintains a vital role among Indonesians has included English alongside other secular sciences and technology as part of its curriculum in its current advancement. In this regard, the paper will show how critical Islamic education role among Indonesians is, how ELT in Indonesia has developed, what challenges it experiences, and what opportunities it posseses in the context of Indonesian Islamic Education. The paper argues that Islamic education remains the choice of the Indonesian Muslim communities as long as it is able to meet the demands of living in the globalization era while keeping the Islamic values in all the learning process. It further suggests that ELT in Indonesia needs to incorporate Islamic values and show that English learning put no threats and negative influences to Indonesian culture in general and Islamic religious values in particular.

Scrutinizing Cheating Behavior among EFL Students at Islamic Higher Education Institutions in Indonesia

“…The interviews we conducted reveal four themes that have deep resonance for scholars of religion: sin, repentance, habituation, and care. As the educational institutions nurturing students to be qualified Islamic scholars (Hidayati, 2016;Muluk, 2014), Islamic higher education institutions should ensure that these four religious aspects are ingrained in their students' souls. All these four religious aspects will affect the steps and decisions that students will make in their future endeavors.…”

Exploring Teaching and Learning English at Smait Nurul Fikri

“…Then, with all dilemmas and continues effort of government to fulfil the target of nation to give a standardized education, finally religious education had been assigned to formal school soon after the independence of Indonesia. Furthermore, Hidayati (2017) explained that the new trend of Islamic education becomes an ideal model for Muslim parents, particularly of the middle class living in urban area. Hashim (2008) stated that the commitment to implement the Islamic education is not to mislead the pupils yet to prepare them for a life of purity and sincerity.…”

Teacher’s target language use in classroom discourse: teacher’s point of view

“…Teaching a language in Indonesia's classroom needs a more profound insight than "just" teaches a new language or foreign. (Hidayati, 2017) As previously stated, students must be introduced to an atmosphere in which the target language is spoken. The instructor must build an atmosphere in which students can learn the target language.…”