Promoting Intercultural Competence in Bilingual Programs in Indonesia

Abstract

Most studies of intercultural competence in bilingual programs have been conducted in non-Asian contexts resulting in little information on how Indonesian educators promote intercultural values within bilingual programs. This research contributes to the body of literature that examines the promotion of intercultural values within bilingual higher education in Indonesia. It focuses on lecturers' perceptions of their strategies to teach and promote intercultural values in Indonesian higher education institutions (IHEIs). Data collection employed in-depth semi-structure interviews of eight lecturers that teach in three different programs: Math; Economic and Political Science bilingual programs. The findings of this study show that intercultural competent components include open-minded attitudes, reciprocal interaction, and respecting differences. In addition, two important strategies to promote intercultural competence are in-country programs and international intercultural programs. This study has implications for the success of similar programs and the ways to gain intercultural competence within higher education contexts.

Key factors to evaluate the impact of bilingual programs: Employability, mobility and intercultural awareness

“…This paper is in line with other studies that analyze the intercultural awareness of bilinguals (e.g. Arasaratnam-Smith, 2016;Abduh and Rosmaladewi, 2018;Gómez-Parra, 2020), their employability (e.g. Callahan and Gándara, 2014;Yang, 2015;Jongyeon, 2019), and their mobility (e.g.…”

Construing the Challenges and Opportunities of Intercultural Language Teaching Amid Covid-19 Pandemic: English Teachers' Voices

“…Meanwhile, a plethora of studies which discuss IC have been investigated by several researchers in the Indonesian context (Abduh & Rosmaladewi, 2018;Adi, 2017;Aprianoto & Haerazi, 2019;Dollah, Syarifuddin, Abduh, Amirullah, Talib, 2017;Edi, Wello, & Dollah, 2017;Haerazi, Irwansyah, Dedi & Azis, 2018;Idris, 2020;Idris & Widyantoro, 2019;Luthfia, Rosidah, & Sofian, 2019;Miftakh, 2017;Mumu, 2017;Rosyidi & Purwati, 2018;Sabilah, 2018;Siregar, 2016;Yulianti, 2019;Zacharias, 2005); however, limited studies discussing this amid COVID-19 pandemic was found. Thus, to fill the gap of the previous related studies, it is deemed necessary to carry out a study concerning this area, i.e., challenges and opportunities encountered in intercultural language teaching, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the teachers' perspectives since they are the primary executor of the instruction conducted.…”

Using Online Resources Technology for Foreign Language Learning: Strategies, Impact, and Challenges

“…For Indonesian higher education, the use of web-based instruction is a new change that happened in the last few years, mainly for soft and hard science. Some researchers investigated the influence of online technologies in language learning: learners aspiration in utilizing technology for learning [25], the use of Instagram for language learning [26], mobile-assisted language learning [27], learners can use technology for their vocabulary development [28], online learning and gamification [29], the culture of language learning [30]- [32], podcast and language learning [33], internationalization awareness and commitment for learning [34], technology and historical literacy [35], literacy and anthropology in higher education [36], literacy in vocational education [37], intercultural literacy [38], technology, oral and written literacy [39], [40], and hybrid-eLearning [41]. Among the studies, none of them have focused on holistic skill development because of online learning and explore the challenges of online education.…”